A Tracy Secret
by andrewjameswilliams
Summary: Movie Universe. Shortly after his fifteenth birthday an event occurs that will alter Alan's life forever and lead him to discover the greatest secret of the Tracy family. Story Complete.
1. Chapter 1

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A Tracy Secret

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Chapter One

Alan Tracy sighed in relief as he finished packing his few changes of clothes in a small fold down case and closed the lid. He was glad that this field trip was coming to an end.

For the last three days he, along with Fermat and a party of their fellow Wharton Academy students, had been camping out here in the mountains to watch a rare total solar eclipse. It had been very interesting to watch though the teachers had typically made it all sound so boring.

But it wasn't the typically boring teachers that Alan was looking forward to getting away from, it was school in general, after this trip was over him and Fermat would be off for the summer holidays and returning home to Tracy Island.

A smile graced Alan's face at the thought of going home for more than the two days that he had last been home for. Namely the two days when he'd been home three weeks ago to celebrate his fifteenth birthday. It would be nice to see everyone again – everyone should be there as Thunderbird Five was still being repaired though it had been months since the encounter with the Hood that had seen Thunderbird Five be severely damaged by a missile attack from the Hood's submarine.

But what would be really nice was seeing Tin-Tin again. They had been getting along a lot better since spring break a few months ago when they had encountered the Hood. During those events they had seen something in each other - something that they liked. Afterwards they had spent much more time together, and frequently spent time alone together. And they had both been surprised to find that they had feelings for each other.

Alan looked forward to exploring his feelings for Tin-Tin more when he got home to Tracy Island. Hopefully Tin-Tin would be willing to as well, there recent talks over vidcom both on computer and on mobile phone indicated that she couldn't wait to be with him again.

Alan was brought out of the daydream that starting to happen about him and Tin-Tin having a good time by the sound of the tent flaps opening. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see Fermat enter the tent.

"Y...y...you finished p...p...packing Alan," Fermat asked.

"Yeah just finished," Alan replied. "What about you Fermat? Have you packed?"

"Y...y...yes I p...p...packed when you w...w...went for your morning s...s...shower," Fermat replied gesturing to the base of his airbed, Alan followed the gesture. And sure enough there was Fermat's own fold down case fully packed ready to leave. Alan smiled.

"Okay now lets roll out sleeping bags up and the air out of these beds. Then we can take the tent down," Alan said.

"And if w...w...we are q...q...quick we might get to be f...f...first on the bus," Fermat replied.

Alan grinned that would mean they could get the best seats instead of that arrogant, aristocratic know-it-all Bradley Petersmith and his equally aristocratic friend Marcus Stevens. Fermat grinned back and the two friends got to work.

**

* * *

One Hour Later **

Alan and Fermat both smiled as the last of the students got aboard the coach followed by the teachers and the driver, they had been the first two students aboard. Immediately they grabbed the best seats which had earned them annoyed looks off Bradley and Marcus as the spoiled aristocratic pair had been forced to find other seats.

Alan watched as the teachers did a quick head count to make sure that everyone was indeed aboard before saying something to the driver before sitting down. The driver closed the doors and started the engine and Alan frowned. He was sure he could hear a strange rattle coming from the engine but after a second it faded away just as the coach began moving off on its long journey back to Wharton Academy.

Alan relaxed back in the seat and tried to ignore a momentary tingle that ran down his spine. He had been feeling it on and off for two days, he had no idea what was causing it, but whatever it was it always faded away after a few seconds and now was no different.

After a second he shrugged and concentrated on relaxing and enjoying the ride back to Wharton.

* * *

They had barely gotten half a mile when a dull thud came from the engine. Alan's eyes flew open as the sound jolted him out of the light doze he had sunken into. _What was that,_ he thought a second before a rattle could suddenly be heard from the engine followed by a harsh creaking noise. 

"What on earth," he said aloud as a concerned murmur broke out amongst his fellow students. All of them knew that the sounds coming from the engine were not right.

"What is it," Professor Daniels the senior of the two teachers asked the driver.

"I don't know," the driver replied worriedly the engine temperature had just shot up and a panel of warning lights had lit up. Both pointing to the fact that something was seriously wrong with the bus. "I'm going to pull in," he said.

Before the teachers could say anything he drove the bus into the car park of a small traveller's rest/trading post called Frederick's Pass. No sooner than the driver had stopped the bus than their came another dull thud from the engine. Followed by what sounded like a small explosion. And abruptly what was either smoke or steam began to escape from the engine compartment.

"Everyone out now," the driver called back opening the door.

In a hurry all fearing that the bus could catch fire at any moment students and teachers alike scrambled off the coach. The bus driver was the last one to leave the bus and everyone hurried to get clear of the coach. A second later there came a _whumph _from the bus and steam and boiling water abruptly cascaded out of the engine compartment.

"Oh dear," Alan said softly to Fermat knowing full well that something major had gone wrong in the engine for that to happen.

"Y…y…yes something must be r…r…really wrong," Fermat agreed. Alan nodded and looked at the steam and boiling water spewing from the bus, then he sighed, it looked like they were going to be stuck here for a little while.

**

* * *

Green River Valley **

40 Miles From School Camp

That Same Time

The large black land rover pulled up outside the remote but large log cabin that was the only sign of human habitation in the whole of the Green River valley.

Scott Tracy smiled when he opened the driver side door and climbed out of the car that they had rented from the airport. It had been along drive to Green River a good three hours and he was glad to be here at last. Scott looked over at the passenger side door just as it opened and John got out of the car. The two of them were here for a few days holiday away from all the stress and strains of the lives in International Rescue.

"Well here we are John," Scott said.

"Yeah thought we would never get here," John replied as he came around side of the car to join Scott. "Once we have got out stuff inside what do you want to do Scott?"

Scott thought for a moment about that as they went around to the boot to get out their cases.

"Well I was thinking about going for a run later. But first I was thinking of going to the river and catching some fish," Scott replied.

"You know Scott both those sound like good ideas," John replied a look of eagerness on his face. It would be nice to go for a run later and before that the simple pleasure of fishing would be fun. The perfect way to relax at the start of a much deserved break from the stresses of their lives in International Rescue.

Scott grinned back at his brother he could see that John liked both those ideas, just as he had known he would.

"Well what are we standing here for?" he said as he opened the boot. John grinned back and started to help Scott unload their things from the land rover.

**

* * *

Frederick's Pass **

Thirty Minutes Later

Alan sighed to himself as he left the small diner that was part of the trading post/travellers rest at Frederick's Pass. The teachers and bus driver had been talking and checking the coach. It appeared that something major had gone in the engine and the bus could no longer move. They had contacted the company that had supplied the coach and been told that a replacement coach was on the way but unfortunately that would not reach them until tomorrow.

Which meant that they were going to have to spend another night out here, very soon they would all be getting there things out of the coach and hiking back up to the school campsite. Everyone was being given a couple of minutes first to contact their families to inform them about the sudden, unexpected delay.

Alan took his mobile phone from his pocket; he selected videoconference mode and then called the number for home. Then he waited for someone on the island to answer his call, all the while hoping that they hadn't been called out on a rescue. As he waited for someone on the island to pick up he tried to ignore another tingle that momentarily ran down his spine. _What is causing that,_ he wondered although it wasn't uncomfortable the tingle was very strange and like nothing he had ever felt in his life before.

He didn't have time to think about it because at that moment his call was answered and Virgil's face appeared on the phone screen.

"Hey squirt," Virgil said smiling warmly at his younger brother. Then a puzzled look came onto Virgil's face as he noticed that Alan wasn't on a bus. "Where are you?"

"Hey Virg. I'm at Frederick's Pass," Alan replied. "There has been something of a hiccup in the travel plans."

"What is it? Aside from the bus running later."

"It's not just running later Virgil," Alan replied. "The bus has broken down badly. We're stranded here at Frederick's Pass for the moment."

"Ah right. You know Alan Scott and John are at the Green River cabin. One of them could come to Frederick's Pass, and pick up you and Fermat."

"Nah there's no need and I don't want to bother them. We'll be hiking back to the school camp in a few minutes. A replacement bus is on the way but it cannot reach us until tomorrow so we will be spending another night out here."

"Another night," Virgil repeated, suddenly looking and sounding worried about something.

"Virgil what is it?" Alan asked looking at his older brother in confusion and concern. It was obvious that him saying that he would have to spend another night out here was worrying Virgil for some reason. _But why,_ Alan wondered, _what about it is worrying Virgil so much?_

**

* * *

Sundeck **

Tracy Island

Virgil looked up from the portable vidcom unit he was holding to look out at the tranquil blue waters of the Pacific Ocean surrounding Tracy Island. The calm ocean was a sharp counterpoint to his suddenly very turbulent thoughts. Alan could not stay at the school camp for another night, not at this time anyway. It was too dangerous for him; they'd been pushing their luck letting Alan go to the school camp so close to this time as it was.

Unnoticed by Virgil their father accompanied by Gordon and Brains had come out of the main house onto the sundeck. Jeff frowned when he saw the look on Virgil's face; his third son seemed to be very worried about something.

"Virgil," he asked moving up to Virgil to see what the problem was. Virgil turned worried brown eyes on his father.

"Alan's on the phone," Virgil said knowing Alan would not be able to hear them since the voice pickup on the vidcom was directional.

"And," Jeff prompted feeling a sudden chill of dread run down his spine. Something told him what Virgil had to say was not going to be good.

"Alan's bus has broken down. They'll be hiking back to the school camp in a few minutes. A replacement bus won't arrive until tomorrow so they have to stay there for another night," Virgil replied gravely.

Jeff's eyes widened in alarm while listening behind him Gordon swapped a concerned look with Brains. While he wasn't like them their resident genius – like Kyrano and his family – knew all the secrets of the Tracy's. Letting Alan stay at the school camp for another night was inviting trouble. Jeff reached forward and took the portable vidcom from Virgil.

"Alan," Jeff said.

**

* * *

Frederick's Pass **

Alan was startled and confused when the image on his mobile screen changed from Virgil to the face of his father. It did not escape his notice that his dad, just like Virgil, seemed to be strangely worried about something.

"Dad! What's up?" Alan asked in confusion and concern.

"Alan I am going to call Scott and John. One of them will be coming to the school camp to pick you and Fermat up." Alan almost started to protest but didn't. He knew from the tone of his father's voice that no matter what objections he raised, this would happen, whether he liked it or not. "In the meantime Alan I want you to promise me something."

"Sure dad what," Alan asked getting more and more confused. Something was strange about this situation and they way his father and brother were behaving. He had never seen them behave in this way before. They knew something but they weren't telling him what that something was.

"If Scott and John don't come to pick you up before sundown then I want you to promise me that you will stay inside your tent. Don't go outside after dark, no matter what happens, stay inside. Promise me that you'll do that."

"Yes dad but why do you want me to stay inside? What's going on," Alan said now more confused than ever. He looked intently at his father trying to read his expression to see if he could figure out what about him staying at the school camp for another night, was bothering his dad so much. "What aren't you telling me?"

"It's complicated and I don't have time to explain it now. Just Alan please do what I told you."

"Okay dad," Alan replied in a tone that indicated that he did not understand but would do what he was told.

"Good," Jeff replied and broke the connection from his end. Alan stared at his mobile screen as the normal wallpaper appeared instead of the vidcom display. _What is going here,_ he wondered, _what aren't they telling me?_

**

* * *

Sundeck **

Tracy Island

As soon as he broke the link with his very bewildered youngest son Jeff dialled Scott's mobile number. He hoped that Scott had remembered to turn the thing on, as they had no other means of contacting him. True Scott and John would still have their wristcom's but with Thunderbird Five still out of commission they were only good for short-range communication like between two people here on the island. As advanced as they were the micro transmitters and receivers inside the wristcom's were not powerful enough for long range communication without some form of signal boosting, and the only transmitters capable of boosting the signals was the one here on the island and the ones in the thunderbirds.

For a few moments the phone rang and then Scott's face appeared on the vidcom display. But before Jeff could speak Scott started talking.

"Hi you've reached Scott Tracy sorry I can't take your call at the moment b…" Jeff rolled his eyes as he realised he'd got Scott's answering system. Scott message finished and a flashing 'leave message now' message appeared on the screen.

"Scott a situation has developed. Please call me as soon as you get this message," Jeff said then hung up.

"What are we going to do dad," Gordon asked worriedly.

"It won't be dark there for awhile so we still have sometime," Jeff replied. "Hopefully Scott will respond to my message. If not I will try him again later."

"And if you can't get hold of him," Gordon asked. "We shouldn't have let Alan go to that camp then we wouldn't be in this position."

"Maybe you are right but its too late to think about that now," Jeff replied thinking that Gordon was right. He shouldn't have let Alan go to that school camp, even though saying no would have only started one of his and Alan's earth shattering shouting matches. "If I can't get hold of Scott then we can only hope Alan does what he is told and stays inside. Because we have no other choice."

Gordon thought for a few moments. He was about to suggest that if they couldn't get hold of Scott they take Thunderbird One and actually go and retrieve Alan and Fermat when the IR alarm went off. _Typical,_ he thought as they all spun around – and in Virgil's case got up off the chair first – and raced inside to answer the call. _Please stay inside Alan,_ Gordon thought as they ran through the hallways of the villa towards Jeff's office, _you must for all our sakes._


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter Two

School Camp

A Few Hours Later

Alan lay cocooned in his sleeping bag in his tent and repeatedly tried and failed to get to sleep. The sun had set awhile ago and Alan knew that he should get to sleep as it was a long trip home tomorrow, but he just was not able to. Instead lying in the bed felt to Alan like he was in prison, confined.

Alan found himself wanting, desperately wanting to go outside, out into the night. It felt almost like something was calling him, urging him to come out. It called to his very blood and Alan could feel something inside him wanting him to answer the sirens call.

The feeling, the desperate desire to go out, was like nothing he had ever felt in his life before and his blood burned for him to comply. But he resisted, he had promised his dad that he would stay inside and that was what he was going to do. Even though the call, the urge to go outside, was getting stronger by the minute. _Why do I feel like this,_ Alan thought, _what's happening to me?_

Faint beads of sweat appeared on Alan's brow and within his sleeping bag his fists were clenched almost painfully tight as he fought the sirens call of the night. Fighting a war with himself, he was determined not to give in, to stay inside and do what his father had asked him to do.

Alan lay there in bed for ages, his whole body shaking with the effort of fighting himself and whatever it was inside him that wanted him to go out. But finally the point came where he couldn't fight the overpowering urge to go outside anymore. Alan emitted a soft cry of dismay and defeat as he felt his defences crumble into dust. His left hand unclenched and seemingly of its own volition undid the sleeping bags zip. _I'm sorry dad,_ Alan thought as he climbed out of bed.

Quietly so as to hopefully not disturb Fermat who had only just got to sleep Alan reached for his jeans. He was still wearing his T-shirt, underpants and socks intending to only change them when morning came. His attempt to be as quiet as possible was hampered by the cramped, tight confines of the tent and the now overpowering urge to get outside as quickly as possible.

Ultimately his attempt to be quiet was futile as with a soft snort Fermat woke up. Just as Alan had finished putting on his jeans and was fishing out his trainers.

"Alan," Fermat said groggily even as he sat up and freed his hands from the cocoon of his sleeping bag and reached for and found his glasses. He put them on and looked at Alan, just as Alan was doing up the laces on his trainers. "Alan w…w…what are you d…d…doing?"

"I'm going for a walk Fermat," Alan replied and then blinked when he heard his voice. It had changed somehow in the last few hours. It was now deeper and more powerful like an adult's voice.

Fermat frowned when he heard the change in Alan's voice and then shrugged when he realised that was probably just Alan's voice breaking – Alan was in his mid teens after all. Then he frowned again as his sleep-fogged brain processed what Alan had just said.

"B…b…but your dad t…t…told you to s…s…stay inside," Fermat objected.

"I know Fermat. And I have tried to stay here but I just can't. I need to go out for a walk before I go mad," Alan replied.

Fermat looked at Alan in concern. There was something in his voice, a desperate desire to go outside, that set mental alarm bells ringing. After a few seconds he sighed.

"H…h…hang on Alan I'll c…c…come with you," Fermat said undoing his own sleeping bag.

Alan nodded and waited impatiently at the closed tent flap while Fermat got out of bed and started putting on his own jeans and trainers. Alan resisted the impulse to fidget while he waited for Fermat. After what seemed like an eternity Fermat was ready and joined Alan by the tent flap, carrying the torch.

Alan opened the tent flap and the two of them stepped out into the bright moonlit night. As he stepped out into the night Alan felt a profound sense of relief, like he was suddenly being freed from a prison.

"Come on," he said turning his head to look at Fermat as he spoke. Alan blinked when he heard his voice. Was it him or had his voice just gotten a tiny little bit deeper as he spoke to Fermat.

Fermat frowned and looked at Alan and could have sworn that there was a glint of silver in Alan's hair as he turned his head. After a moment he shrugged to himself dismissing it as a trick of the light. Together they walked through the school camp and onto one of the forest paths.

As they walked along the forest path Alan began feeling increasingly strange, that something was happening inside him, what he didn't know but he could feel that something inside him was changing. A strange feeling of power and strength was beginning to fill his being, making him feel like he could do anything. It was strange and somewhat frightening, and something was happening to his senses.

He could hear every little rustle of leaves as the light breeze blew through the branches of the trees, smells that he had never noticed in his life before filled his nostrils, and his vision was getting better and better. The forest seemed to brighten and grow in detail until it was almost like daylight, it was like he was seeing it through his own personal night vision goggles not his eyes. _What is happening to me,_ he thought, _my senses shouldn't be like this. And why do I suddenly feel so strong?_

He didn't have much time to think about it as a strange wave of dizziness and disorientation abruptly rippled through his head.

Alan gasped and stopped dead in his tracks, closing his eyes as his world spun sickeningly. But as quickly as it appeared the dizziness and disorientation vanished.

Fermat looked worriedly at Alan.

"Alan w…w…what is w…w…wrong," he asked as Alan opened his eyes again. And Fermat took a startled step back when, as Alan looked at him, his eyes changed going from their normal blue to a deep amber colour. Looking closely at Alan in the moonlight he could see that Alan's hair was changing going from blond to a strange dark grey. _What in the world, _Fermat thought as he stared at Alan in shock and disbelief.

"Fermat what is it," Alan asked and his amber eyes widened when he heard his voice, it had changed again. It was now even deeper, way too deep to be normal and now sounded almost as though the words were growled and not spoken. Before he could say anything the tingling sensation ran down his back again only this time there was something else as well an almost prickly sensation running down his spine. As it travelled down his spine he felt something beginning to press against his T-shirt.

Alan reached behind him and slid a hand up under his shirt, and gave a startled fearful yelp at what he felt. He felt fur soft and thick like the fur on a dog running down his spine and it was slowly getting longer. Fermat looked worriedly at Alan it was obvious that something had just badly frightened Alan.

"Alan w…w…what is it," he asked.

Alan opened his mouth to answer but before he could a sharp wave of pain came from somewhere deep inside him. It seemed to spread through his arteries and veins so it felt almost like his very blood had turned to liquid fire. Another wave of pain erupted from deep inside him, making his muscles convulse. Alan cried out in pain, but what emerged from his throat was not a scream but a low rumbling growl.

Fermat stared at Alan in shock and concern. It was obvious that something was seriously wrong with his best friend and that he was obviously in considerable pain from whatever it was that was wrong with him. When a low rumbling almost animal growl came from Alan Fermat looked at Alan in growing alarm and confusion. He'd never heard a human being make a noise like that before.

Before his eyes a ripple seemed to pass over Alan's body and before his eyes Alan began to change. His muscles seemed to convulse once and then they visibly began to grow the muscles visible on his bare arms abruptly becoming much more defined and larger. His T-shirt tightened on his torso for a moment as Alan continued to get more muscular then it tore apart, even his jeans became tight and looked like they would break at any moment. And then the change seemed to stop for a moment.

Alan gasped in relief as for a moment the pain tearing through him seemed to ease off, but only for a moment. Before he had even taken a breath another wave of pain tore through his body travelling down his arms and legs into his hands and feet. At the same time the tingle and prickling sensation returned this time it was everywhere.

Alan raised his hands and looked at them as for a few seconds they seemed to shake and the skin on his arms darkened to a charcoal grey colour until he realised that what he was seeing was not skin but fur. He was growing fur. He watched as his hands began to change shape, getting bigger, much bigger and longer. His fingernails changed getting longer and sharper until in seconds they weren't nails but razor-sharp claws. Alan stared at them and his fur covered arms in shock and terror right before he heard two hollow booms, he looked down to see that his trainers had burst apart and were being crushed beneath large, furry and clawed feet.

Another wave of pain rippled through his body and Alan moaned in agony. The sound emerging as a low growl. Then intense burning pain erupted throughout his body. Alan could feel his bones changing and his spine lengthening, he threw his head back and screamed in unbearable agony, the scream coming out as a long wolf like howl. And then the pain became too much for him and Alan gratefully gave himself up to unconsciousness.

Standing watching his transforming friend Fermat was pale and wide eyed in terror, a small, frightened squeak emerged from his throat as Alan emitted a deep wolf like howl even as the very structure of Alan's face began to alter and his ears changed shape becoming long and pointed. The glint of moonlight showed fangs growing in Alan's mouth. Then Fermat's eyes rolled back in his head and keeled over in a dead faint. A second before Alan – his body continuing to change getting taller and even more muscular – also collapsed unconscious to the ground.

**

* * *

Elsewhere **

Scott and John Tracy ran side by side through the forest, luxuriating in the feelings of total freedom they were experiencing as they ran through the forest. Here there were no barriers, no fences, here they could run as far as they liked and as long as they liked.

Anyone who saw them though would not have seen two tall, handsome and athletic young men; instead they would have seen two wolf-like humanoids one with silver-grey fur the other with dark brown fur. Each was tall a good eight feet in height and massive their furry bodies rippling with huge lean muscles. Their size combined with sharp claws on their hands and feet and snouts filled with powerful cutting teeth, gave them a fearsome appearance, when beneath it all they were still the same people they had always been.

_"You know John I'm enjoying this,"_ Scott said telepathically to his younger brother running beside him, while he had been an active werewolf for ten years now he never tired of just going for a run in his wolf form. He didn't speak aloud to John, as the biology of his werewolf form did not allow him to make the complex sounds necessary to from words. Not that it mattered while in werewolf form they could talk mind-to-mind to each other and even to non-werewolves. Though most normal humans – conditioned as they were by horror films and books – would run away screaming in mortal terror at meeting a real life werewolf. Even though real werewolves – unlike their mythical counterparts – were not bloodthirsty predators bent on killing everyone and everything that crossed their path, and no real werewolf would even consider hurting or attacking a human.

_"You're not on your own Scott,"_ John answered_, "and you know what is especially good about it?"_

_"No."_

_"That we can do this and not have to worry about that alarm going off."_ Had he been able to laugh in this form Scott would have, instead he sent the mental image of a smile back to John.

All to often their runs on Tracy Island were interrupted by the International Rescue alarm going off, which forced them to quickly get back to the villa complex and change back into their human forms – in another difference to there mythical counterparts real werewolves could change form at whim after the first transformation cycle.

_"That is a plus," _Scott agreed and then stopped in his tracks as two familiar scents reached his nose being blown in the wind_. What are they still doing out here,_ he thought_. "John can you smell that?"_

_"Yes of course I can,"_ John replied_. "What are Alan and Fermat still doing out here? Especially at this close to Alan's first change. They should have left the school camp and been back on the island hours ago."_

_"I don't know. We should check it out."_

_"Definitely,"_ John agreed. With that the two of them changed direction and began walking following the scents of their little brother and his best friend that were being blown in the wind.

**

* * *

Forest Trail **

Alan regained consciousness with a soft groan; slowly he opened his eyes to find himself looking down a long wolf like muzzle. _What in the world,_ he thought as he staggered to his feat and was shocked that his eye line was much higher now. Cautiously he looked around his eyes easily penetrating the darkness, he saw Fermat sprawled unconscious on the ground nearby and everywhere he could see torn pieces of fabric that had once been his clothes.

Cautiously, fearing what he would see, he looked down at himself and emitted a startled cry, a cry that came out as a low growl. His body had changed it wasn't human anymore. He was still humanoid but was now impossibly tall, his body was completely covered in thick charcoal grey fur, and his muscles were absolutely huge – bigger than those on any pro bodybuilder – and he could feel the incredible, inhuman strength and power that came from them. Not to mention the fact that his hands and feet now ended in long sharp claws. Alan looked at his clawed hands for a moment then he looked up, turned away from Fermat and began running away into the forest.

He had transformed into somekind of freakish monster; he couldn't let anyone see him like this. He had to run and find someplace to hide until he hopefully changed back to normal.

**

* * *

Moments Later **

Scott and John arrive at the forest path moments after Alan left. A quick look at the scene of Fermat lying unconscious on the ground next to a pile of torn apart clothing that was rich with Alan's scent told them what had happened.

Alan – like most werewolves at the time of the first change – had had insomnia, he'd gone for a walk and Fermat had gone with him. They had stopped as Alan transformed into a werewolf for the first time, and since he hadn't been prepared for his first transformation it had probably frightened Alan out of his wits and had probably mildly traumatised him. And seeing Alan transform had probably done the same to Fermat.

_"I'll go and find Alan,"_ Scott said to John_"Can you take Fermat back to the cabin?"_

_"I can,"_ John replied_. "I just hope that Fermat doesn't wake up while I'm doing it. Seeing Alan turn into a werewolf has probably traumatised him. Waking up to find himself being carried by an eight foot werewolf would only make it worse." _

_"So change back,"_ Scott said

John replied. Scott said. 

_"Great idea,"_ John replied sarcastically_. "And then he wakes up and finds me naked carrying him he'd think I was going to rape him or something. Not to mention it would be really cold walking back to the cabin with no clothes on." _

_"We can't just leave him here after what he's seen."_

_"I know. I guess I'll have to do it in wolf form and hope he doesn't wake up."_

_"You don't have a choice,"_ Scott replied_. "I'm going after Alan. I'll meet you back at the cabin."_

_"Okay Scott,"_ John said. Scott turned away and hurried off into the forest following the invisible trail that was Alan's scent

John for his part sighed, which naturally given that he was in wolf form came out as a soft almost inaudible growl, and moved over to Fermat. Carefully he picked up the unconscious form of the young genius and put him over his shoulder in a fireman carry, before starting back for the cabin.

As he walked he thought about Alan and how frightened he probably was to have suddenly transformed into a werewolf. Finding out like that was hardly the best way for Alan to have learned the Tracy family's greatest and most personal secret, that they were all werewolves. _Please be okay Alan,_ he thought.

* * *

Alan ran for awhile, he found that his changed body was indeed extremely powerful and that he was running faster than he had ever run in his life before. Strangely he found himself just enjoying running. 

But after a while he came to clearing in the forest, where a stream formed part of narrow meadow, and decided to stop for a breather. Cautiously Alan walked up to the stream and looked down at the crystal clear running water, which was glittering in the moonlight, he wanted to see what his face looked like. The face that reflected back at him was the face of a wolf.

Alan was stunned. _I'm a, a werewolf,_ he thought in sudden realisation, _but aren't werewolves supposed to be mindless, bloodthirsty monsters._ A sudden strange sensation at the back of his mind distracted him for his thoughts; it was a weird tingle that produced a faint buzzing in his ears.

Alan turned around as whatever was causing the strange buzz felt like it was behind him. The buzz vanished as another werewolf this one with dark brown fur stepped out of the forest.

* * *

Scott followed Alan's scent trail for a considerable distance, he wondered to himself if Alan realised just how far or how fast he had been running. _Probably not,_ Scott thought since Alan wasn't familiar with the capabilities of his werewolf form. 

Finally he came to a clearing in the forest and there he was. A eight-foot tall werewolf with the same grey fur as John though Alan's was a darker charcoal grey with some lighter silver grey highlights on his head and across his shoulders, as opposed to John's which was a uniform light silver grey. Alan had just turned around obviously having experienced that strange extra directional sense that allowed werewolves to sense each other whatever form they were in.

_"Alan,"_ he said telepathically to his baby brother_. "Alan it's me Scott. To answer just focus your thoughts."_

* * *

Alan stared at the newly arrived brown furred werewolf in shock. Could it really be his oldest brother? Was Scott a werewolf to? He followed Scott's interactions on how to talk to him.

_"Scott,"_ he said and was surprised by both the fact that he was talking telepathically and that it was so easy._ "You're a werewolf to?" _

_"Well of course I am. I always have been,"_ Scott replied_. "I am just sorry that you had to find out this way. You should have been told what we are so you would be prepared for your first transformation."_

_"What do you mean Scott,"_ Alan asked not quite sure he understood what Scott meant by saying 'what we are'. Was Scott referring to just the two of them being werewolves or was he saying that it wasn't just the two of them.

"Were all werewolves Alan our whole family."

Alan stared at Scott in shock and disbelief. Their whole family were werewolves, dad, all his brothers, all of them. His mind was not able to process or accept this latest shock on top of the shocks brought about by his transformation. Alan's eyes rolled back in his head and for the second time tonight, he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

Scott studied Alan's unconscious form for a few moments. _Well that could have gone better,_ Scott thought, _at least he didn't completely freak out._ Looking at Alan he guessed he probably wouldn't wake up for awhile so he would have to carry him back to the cabin. Even with werewolf strength and endurance it would be hard work carrying Alan's dead weight that far – considering that in werewolf form Alan like the rest of them would weigh a couple of hundred pounds of mostly solid muscle give or take a few pounds. But Scott didn't mind a bit.

Calmly he picked up Alan, slung him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and started on the long walk back to the cabin at Green River.


	3. Chapter 3

****

Chapter Three

Green River Cabin

Next Morning

Alan awoke from his sleep with a sharp gasp. He sat up in bed and looked around in confusion wondering where on earth he was. This wasn't his and Fermat's tent at the school camp; instead it looked like one of the bedrooms at the cabin they sometimes stayed at, at Green River._How did I get here,_ he thought as he climbed out of bed and then he remembered what had happened last night, he remembered it all, turning into a werewolf, everything_. Did I dream all that,_ he thought_, or did it really happen? Am I really a werewolf? Or was it all a very strange and realistic dream. After all werewolves are myths, and if werewolves are mythical creatures then there is no way that I, or any of my family, can be one._

Alan had almost completely convinced himself when he felt a tingle in his mind along with a faint buzzing in his right ear, which was facing the door. _Alan Shepherd Tracy you are imaging things,_ he told himself trying to ignore the buzz.

The bedroom door opened and Alan realising that he was completely naked reached for a blanket to shield himself.

"Relax Alan," John's voice said sounding amused. "You haven't got anything I haven't seen before." Sheepishly Alan lowered his guard. "How are you feeling this morning?" John asked.

"I'm fine," Alan replied. "John do you know what happened to my clothes? And how did I get here?"

"Your clothes were shredded last night when you transformed, don't worry though you can borrow some of mine until we retrieve your stuff from the school camp," John replied watching Alan carefully. "As to how you got here Scott carried you after you collapsed."

As John spoke Alan's shoulders slumped as reality dropped on him like a ton of bricks. Last night hadn't been a dream at all, it had really happened; he really was a werewolf.

"I had hoped that it was all a dream," Alan said with a sigh. John took a quick step closer to his little brother and put a comforting hand on his arm.

"I understand," John said. "I didn't take it that well when I found out. You see I was there when Scott turned into a werewolf for the first time, I don't think I've ever been that scared before or since. And then when dad told me that I was a werewolf as well I kind of freaked out."

"You freaked out," Alan exclaimed looking at John in shock. His blond haired older brother was one of the calmest and most level headed people that he knew. John did not freak out. "I can't believe that John."

"Believe it," John replied. "It wasn't until after my first change that I realised that being a werewolf isn't so bad. Its actually pretty nice once you have got used to it."

"I don't think I will ever get used to it," Alan replied with a sigh.

"Trust me you will," John answered. Alan couldn't help but smile at the absolute certainty in John's voice. Maybe just maybe John was right; maybe he would come to like being a werewolf.

"Does it hurt everytime," Alan asked. "The transformation because is sure hurt last night."

"No it only hurts the first time, why I don't know," John replied. "Next time you change – which will be tonight since it's your first cycle – you will find that it doesn't hurt at all. I can't really describe the feeling as it happens but its not pain."

"That's something I suppose," Alan said as he absentmindedly rubbed his chin and his blue eyes widened when he felt stubble on his chin for the first time in his life. John smiled at the look of surprise on Alan's face.

"I guess I should have told you. After the first transformation there are a few changes in your body."

"Like what," Alan asked and noticed for the first time today that he still had a deeper voice though it was now a normal adult voice and not the inhumanly deep voice he'd had when he had been in the process of changing into a werewolf. "I know about my voice but is there anything else I should know about?"

"Quite a bit actually," John replied with a knowing smile. "Turn around and look in the mirror."

Curious Alan raised an eyebrow but decided to follow his brother's suggestion. He turned around and looked at full-length mirror that hung on the wall, and gasped in surprise. His body had changed; it was still his body, but at the same time it was different, different in a very nice way.

"Wow," Alan said as he eyed his new physique in the mirror. His muscles had gotten bigger and were much more well defined but were in perfect proportions, he looked like he had been lifting weights for a few months, and now that he thought about it he did feel stronger and more powerful. A patch of short blond hair covered his upper chest around the breastbone and the hair on his arms and legs was a bit thicker.

"Pretty nice huh," John said.

"I'll say," Alan replied. "This happen to you as well?"

"Yes it happens to all male werewolves especially the muscle and hair growth. You will find that your athletic performance has greatly improved and that pound for pound you're stronger than a normal human your size would be."

"Wow. But John why do I get the impression that there is more?" John smiled.

"Because there is," he replied. "Your senses are sharper now especially hearing and smell. Your eye sight the same in normal daylight but at night you will be able to see much better."

"Wow," Alan said but didn't comment further as he could tell that John wasn't finished.

"You will also find that we heal faster than normal people," John continued, "our bodies have greater regenerative abilities than normal so we don't scar or disfigure easily. It also gives us longer life span almost double the average. We can still get sick though but not as easily as normal people. So you see being a werewolf isn't all bad."

Alan nodded as he had listened to John he had begun to think that maybe he would like being a werewolf after all. Not that he really had a choice, as he had been born a werewolf just like his brothers and possibly dad as well. The more he thought about it the more he realised that he didn't mind being a werewolf – though it would take him awhile to really get used to it and learn what it meant to be what he was.

"Um John can you get me some clothes please," Alan said realising that he was still naked, and while it probably wouldn't bother him when he turned into the large and powerful werewolf form it certainly bothered him now.

"Sure I'll be right back," John replied and left the room closing the door behind him.

Alan turned back to the mirror and studied his changed physique. He had to admit that he really liked this part of being a werewolf, his altered body sure felt good. _If I like this,_ he thought, _then maybe I will like everything else that comes with being a werewolf. Not that I have much choice, I'm a werewolf and nothing can change that fact._

Then he remembered that Fermat had been with him last night when he'd transformed. A worried frown appeared on his face as he thought about what his best friend would have seen last night. The metamorphosis had been scary for him as well as painful; he could only imagine what it would have been like for Fermat to watch it. Seeing him transform from a human into a creature from myth and popular horror movies would have scared Fermat out of his wits, and probably mildly traumatised him. _He might think that I became the savage, bloodthirsty beast that Hollywood depicts werewolves to be,_ Alan thought, _but I didn't become that. I changed physically but mentally I stayed me._

Alan decided that as soon as he was able to he would have to seriously talk with Fermat about last night.

Abruptly Alan felt that tingle in his head again along with a buzzing in his ears that was coming from behind him. He turned back around to look at the door a moment before it opened and John returned carrying one of his old NASA T-shirts and a pair of black shorts.

"Here you go," John said handing the clothes to Alan.

"Thanks John," Alan replied as he took the offered clothes.

"You're welcome," John replied as Alan slipped the clothes on. Alan was surprised by how well they fit him, in the past John's clothes had always been too big for him.

"Did I grow as well," Alan asked.

"As a matter of fact you did," John replied. "You're a good two inches taller than you were last night, you're now almost as tall as me, and of course there is the increase in muscle mass as well."

"I think I might have to get some new clothes. I doubt that much of my stuff will fit me now," Alan said then shook his head, "what are they going to say at the school camp when they see me like this?"

"Don't worry Alan we've already taken care of that," John replied. "We called your professor this morning and told him that you were sick and that you and Fermat are with us. When you return to school in a few weeks no one will bat an eye since they will assume you grew over the summer holiday." Alan sighed in relief at hearing that.

"Thanks John," he said. "Has anyone told dad?"

"Yeah we called him this morning just after we called the school camp," John replied. "He's on his way here."

"Is he mad at me?" Alan asked. "He told me to stay inside last night, I tried to but I just wasn't able to. He knew that I would change didn't he?"

"No he's not mad at you or disappointed in you," John replied. "As you might have guessed by now dad's a werewolf as well, so was mom. Dad knew when he told you to stay inside that you probably would not be able to, he knows how strong the urge to go outside is during the first transformation cycle."

"That's a relief I thought he would be mad at me," Alan said relief in his voice the last thing he wanted was to fight with dad about this. "One thing I don't understand is why I was never told about this before."

"That's easy," John replied. "You weren't told to protect you and give you a normal life for as long as possible. After what happened with me when I learned that I was a werewolf – two years before my first change – dad decided that he wouldn't tell you, Virgil and Gordon until he absolutely had to. Which was usually a day or two before the first transformation."

"But that didn't happen with me did it," Alan replied. "If he knew I was going to change then why did he let me go to the school camp?"

"Well you should have been home before the change came but your bus broke down. Still dad did agonise about if he should let you go on the trip, even though you wouldn't have understood at the time why he stopped you if he had decided to say no."

"Probably not," Alan admitted. "In fact definitely not, since it wouldn't fit in with what he had said in the past about school trips and camps."

As he spoke a tantalising smell drifted in through the door and Alan sniffed the air and smelt something that smelt delicious, it smelt like bacon and something else. He noticed John doing the same thing, sniffing the air.

"Looks like Scott is just finishing off doing breakfast," John said. "Come on we should go down he said something about making bacon and pancakes."

Alan smiled even as the mention and the smell of the bacon made his mouth water. John turned away and started to leave the room with Alan following.

"Bet that's got you salivating," John said as they walked along the hall beside the bedroom doors to the staircase. "One of the things you will find now is you have an increased desire to eat meat, or at least whey protein like you would get from a protein shake or bar."

"Let me guess that comes from the part of us that's a wolf," Alan replied remembering that wolves were carnivores whereas humans were omnivores.

"Yes," John replied as they descended the stairs to the ground floor of the cabin. As they came to the ground floor Alan again felt that tingle in his head along with a buzzing in his left ear only this time since that ear was pointing in the direction of the kitchen.

"John can you answer me a question," Alan asked.

"I can guess about what you've got a tingle in your head and a directional buzz in your ears," John replied.

"Exactly. You get it as well?"

"Of course. All werewolves get it, what it is, is that you are sensing another werewolf is near you. In this instance you are sensing Scott. You've already sensed me and since we are right next to each other you are not sensing me."

"Its weird," Alan replied. "Not annoying or anything just weird."

"You'll get used to it," John replied as they came into the kitchen/dining room.

Scott looked over as they came in from where he was dishing up.

"Hey squirt," he said to Alan smiling at his youngest brother. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Alan replied. "Though it's going to take awhile before I get used to all of this."

Scott smiled; he could understand that, though he knew from his own experience that it didn't take as long as one would think to adapt to being a werewolf. Soon enough Alan would adapt to it though, just like they all had.

"Understandable," he replied. "Why don't you two go and sit down I'll be done with this soon."

Alan and John both smiled and went to the table and sat down to wait for Scott. In moments Scott had finished what he was doing and came over with two plates piled high with a mixture of bacon and pancakes. Scott set one down in front of Alan and another in front of John before returning to the counter and picking up his own plate and returning to the table and sat down.

With relish the three Tracy brothers tucked into their breakfast and as he took his first bite of the bacon Alan found that it tasted slightly different to before, better somehow. John and Scott exchanged a knowing look as they saw the look on Alan's face.

"Tastes a bit different now doesn't it," Scott said to Alan.

"Yeah," Alan replied. "Tastes a lot nicer."

"It hasn't really changed its just your more aware of the taste now," John added. "I hope you never planned to go vegetarian."

"Oh why?" Alan asked curious.

"Because you need to eat meat or ingest animal protein like from a protein shake to survive now," Scott said.

"Oh. Well I never intended to go vegetarian anyway," Alan replied "But enough talking can we eat breakfast I'm starving."

Scott and John both laughed. Before all three brothers resumed eating their breakfast in silence content to be in each other's company.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Dining Room

Tracy Island, That Same Time

Gordon Tracy sat lost in thought at the breakfast table no really focused on the world around him. A half eaten plate of bacon and waffles – at which he was idly picking – sat in front of him on the table. Although he was still hungry he found his heart wasn't on breakfast, instead his heart was a few thousand miles away with his little brother.

Ever since they had received that call this morning from Scott and John he hadn't been able to think about anything except Alan and what had inevitably happened to him last night. Learning that you were a werewolf was never an easy thing, and Alan had found out in perhaps the worst possible way, he hadn't been told he had just transformed.

Gordon could only imagine what that would have been like for Alan to experience that pain and not know what was happening. The first transformation was both very scary and very painful, Gordon remembered it all too well, but at least when he'd gone through his first transformation he had known what was happening to him. Alan hadn't had that luxury. _Dad shouldn't have let Alan go on that school camp,_ he thought, _he should have insisted that Alan come home. Then we would have had time to prepare him for his first change._

Gordon sighed. There was no point in thinking about what might have been or what they should have done. They had to now deal with the reality of what had happened to Alan last night. _I hope he's all right,_ Gordon thought.

Sitting opposite Gordon Virgil finished his breakfast and looked over at Gordon and at his only half-finished breakfast and frowned in concern. It wasn't like Gordon to only eat part of his food; normally he would devour it all in short order.

Looking at him it was obvious that Gordon's thoughts were elsewhere, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what Gordon was thinking about. He was thinking about Alan and what had happened to their baby brother last night.

Virgil would be lying if he said that he hadn't been thinking about it himself. He had been thinking about Alan all morning. Thinking and worrying about how Alan was taking the revelation that he – and the rest of them – was a werewolf. And how he had found out in less than ideal circumstances. Hopefully he wasn't taking it badly but Virgil knew that they had to be prepared for the possibility that Alan was taking it badly. _We shouldn't have let him go on that camping trip,_ Virgil thought almost completely and unknowingly thinking the same thing as Gordon.

After a moment Virgil sighed and stood up from the table. He knew that all they could do now was wait, wait for dad to return with Alan and Fermat. _Plus Scott and John if I know them,_ he thought, _especially Scott._ Virgil walked around the table to the entrance and paused on the way out to lay a comforting hand on Gordon's shoulder, then he left the room completely.

Gordon barely noticed and continued to sit there idly picking at his breakfast while thinking and worrying about Alan.

After a few moments Tin-Tin came in to pick up the empty breakfast dishes to take them to her mother Onaha in the kitchen so they could be put in the dishwasher. She went around the table and picked up Virgil's empty plate and the glass, which had held orange juice. Tin-Tin looked over at Gordon still idly picking at his half-eaten breakfast though it was probably stone cold by now.

Tin-Tin was surprised to see that there was still some bacon left on the plate, normally since he was a werewolf Gordon would eat all the meat first then the waffles.

"Are you finished with that Gordon," she asked. Gordon looked up startled by the sound of her voice he clearly had not heard her come in.

"Yeah take it," he said softly offering her the plate. "I'm not that hungry."

Now Tin-Tin knew that something was seriously bothering Gordon it wasn't like him to refuse food. She couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with Alan and why Jeff accompanied by Brains had left the island with such urgency this morning, not even stopping for breakfast.

"What's wrong Gordon," she asked. Gordon looked at her in surprise and then realised that Tin-Tin did not know about last night.

"It's Alan," he replied. "You know that because of a mechanical breakdown Alan and Fermat had to stay at the school camp for another night."

"Yes," Tin-Tin replied.

"Well dad told Alan to stay inside as it was the second night of the full moon as it was around the time for Alan's first change." Tin-Tin frowned as Gordon was speaking in the past tense.

"Did he," she asked already getting a sneaky suspicion that the answer would be no.

"He tried," Gordon answered. "But Tin-Tin the call of the full moon at the time of the first change is stronger than at any other time in our lives. Alan couldn't resist it, he went out and Fermat went with him. You can guess what happened then."

"Alan transformed into a werewolf," Tin-Tin said with absolute certainty. Gordon nodded. "And now your worried about how Alan's taking the discovery that your all werewolves?" she guessed. Again Gordon nodded.

"It's not an easy thing to learn at the best of times," Gordon replied. "And Alan has learned out secret in perhaps the worst possible way. He didn't get told he just changed."

"He'll be alright Gordon," Tin-Tin said with absolute certainty. "Once the initial shock has worn off Alan will be perfectly fine." Gordon stared at Tin-Tin in surprise, while he wasn't telepathic outside of wolf form he could tell that Tin-Tin really believed what she said.

"How can you be sure," he asked not really expecting an answer. Tin-Tin just gave that mysterious Belagant smile.

"Trust me," she said. "Alan will be fine."

"I hope your right," Gordon answered.

"I know I am," Tin-Tin replied with a smile. It was infections and Gordon found himself smiling back and thinking that maybe, just maybe Tin-Tin was right and that Alan would be all right with the whole werewolf thing once he had gotten over the shock of it. Gordon quietly sighed to himself, only time would tell.

**

* * *

Green River Cabin**

A Short Time Later

Alan shifted his plate off to one side after finishing breakfast, it had tasted so good maybe because of what Scott and John had said about him noticing the taste of the meat more now. Though the pancakes had tasted better as well.

He'd been thinking over breakfast and something about this whole werewolf thing puzzled him. Weren't werewolves supposed to transform in the light of the full moon, like he had last night, yet he had seen his father brothers out in the full moon in their normal human forms on a number of occasions.

"You look like your thinking about something Alan," Scott said noticing the thoughtful frown on Alan's face.

"A little. Something is confusing me about all this werewolf stuff," Alan replied. Scott smiled he could guess what Alan was thinking.

"Your wondering about the full moon aren't you," Scott replied knowingly. "And why we can go out in it without changing."

"Yes."

"Well that's easily answered," John said joining in the discussion. "After the first cycle we don't have to change everytime there is a full moon. You only change if you want to after that."

"That isn't completely accurate," Scott pointed out. "Remember we do have to change once in every three months."

"Oh yeah," John replied.

"Why is that," Alan asked now that he thought about it he remembered that there were some nights during the full moon when he had been on the island that he hadn't seen dad or one of his brothers all night. The reason why had always puzzled him until now, now that he knew that they were all werewolves it was obvious that they'd just changed into their werewolf forms and gone off somewhere on the island.

"No one really knows," Scott admitted. "Just that we have to do it to stay healthy. If we don't we get really ill and trust me Alan its not worth it. I did it once when I was your age didn't change in three months even though both mom and dad told me to. The result was inevitable I got really sick and was really weak for the next month. Next full moon I had to change all three nights of the full moon to recover."

"I remember that," John said smiling. "You weren't any good to anyone that month Scott."

"I guess that's something that I won't be doing," Alan said. "If I have to change once every three months then so be it."

"You'll probably end up doing it more often like the rest of us," John replied with a knowing smile. "Its great stress relief." Alan smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied then he stood up. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to go and have a wash."

"Sure squirt," Scott replied. Alan laughed good naturedly at the affectionate nickname all his brothers called him by. Then he left the kitchen.

Scott and John watched him go and waited until Alan was out of earshot for even a werewolf's hearing before speaking again.

"He seems to be taking it quite well," Scott said.

"Indeed. He did hope earlier that it was all a dream," John pointed out. "Though I admit he is coming around to the reality of what we are and adjusting more quickly than I thought he would."

"True," Scott replied, John wasn't the only one who was surprised by the easy acceptance of the reality of being a werewolf that Alan was displaying. He was as well. But then again none of them really knew Alan as well as they would have liked – what with there responsibilities in International Rescue and the fact that Alan was away at boarding school most of the time.

"I think dad will be surprised when he gets here," John commented. Scott grinned.

"Definitely," he replied.

* * *

Alan came to the top of the stairs and began walking along the landing towards the bathroom, which was right down the other end of the cabin. This whole thing still seemed a little unreal yet Alan knew it was real. He wasn't dreaming he and his family were not human or at least not entirely, and strangely he found that he didn't mind at all. _One thing is certain being a werewolf is sure going to make my life even more interesting than it already is,_ Alan thought.

A sound abruptly caught his attention and Alan stopped dead in his tracks and listened trying to identify and locate the sound with his newly improved hearing. The sound was coming from the room where Fermat was sleeping, and it sounded like Fermat was having a nightmare.

Alan immediately opened the door to Fermat's room and went inside. Fermat lay on the bed tossing and turning in a restless sleep. Alan looked worriedly at his best friend as Fermat started to talk, stammering heavily.

"P…p…please l…l…leave me alone," Fermat stuttered. "S…s…someone h…h…help me."

"Fermat," Alan said crossing to the bedside and reaching forward and shaking his friends should to try and awaken him. "Fermat wake up."

Fermat's eyes flicked open behind his glasses and the moment he saw Alan he screamed. Instead of seeing his best friend standing there Fermat saw a huge humanoid creature, rippling with muscles and covered in charcoal-grey fur, resting a large clawed hand on his shoulder.

"Fermat what is it? What's wrong," Alan asked puzzled by Fermat's behaviour. Hearing Alan's voice coming from the creature Fermat blinked and the creature vanished to be replaced by his best friend looking at him in concern.

"S…s…sorry Alan," he said apologetically feeling like a prize idiot for screaming like that. "I s…s…saw s…s…something else not y…y…you." Alan nodded in understanding guessing that Fermat had seen a huge, powerful and fearsome looking werewolf instead of him, and waking up to see a werewolf right next to you with a hand on your shoulder would be enough to scare anyone.

"It's okay," he replied. Fermat smiled and nodded in gratitude even as his brain processed that Alan was talking in an adult's voice, his voice obviously having broken over night. Looking at his friend Fermat noticed that his voice wasn't the only thing that had changed about Alan, other things had changed and quite dramatically. Alan was considerably taller and more muscular than he had been yesterday and there was stubble on his jaw.

"Wow. A…A…Alan w…w…what's h…h…happened to y…y…you," he asked. Alan looked uncertain and Fermat could tell that Alan knew what had happened but wasn't sure how to tell him. "D…d…does it h…h…have anything to d…d…do with l…l…last n…n…night." Alan sighed.

"Yes," he replied.

"W…w…what h…h…happened last n…n…night Alan. You c…c…changed," Fermat asked. Though seeing Alan transforming into something else had honestly terrified him he needed to know and understand what had happened.

"I know I changed Fermat," Alan replied. "Or rather my body did my mind remained the same. It was the first time that I have ever changed that's why it hurt. My father and my brothers knew it was coming since the moment I turned fifteen, they almost didn't let me go to the school camp because of it."

"W…w…what do you mean Alan," Fermat replied not yet understanding what had happened.

"It's not easy to say Fermat so I will just say it," Alan said taking the plunge.

"S…s…say what Alan," Fermat asked. "Y…y…your not m…m…making any s…s…sense."

"I changed because it was a full moon last night," Alan replied. "I'm a werewolf Fermat."

Fermat stared at Alan in shock and disbelief, stunned beyond words by what Alan had just said. Alan was a werewolf! How could that be? Werewolves were mythical creatures, existing only in books and horror films. So how could Alan be a werewolf? It was impossible and yet he'd been there last night he had seen Alan changing. A transformation that according to all scientific laws he knew should be impossible. Finally he found his voice.

"Y…y…you're a w…w…werewolf," Fermat exclaimed. Alan nodded.

"So are my father and brothers," he replied. Again Fermat was stunned, all the Tracy's were werewolves, whatever next.

"H…h…how can this b…b…be?" Fermat asked. "H…h…how c…c…can you c…c…change into a m…m…monster."

"Were not monsters Fermat," Alan replied. "You're thinking about the werewolves of human mythology. We change form but we remain ourselves."

"Oh. S…s…sorry if I upset y…y…you," Fermat said realising he might have upset Alan by calling him a monster. To his relief Alan smiled.

"It's okay you didn't know," Alan replied. Fermat sighed in relief.

"T…t…that d…d…doesn't c…c…change my q…q…question though. How c…c…can you c…c…change into a w…w…wolf Alan? That k…k…king of m…m…metamorphosis s…s…should be i…i…impossible." Alan shrugged.

"I don't know Fermat," Alan replied. "All I know is that we exist. There are still many things that science has yet to explain, we are one of them."

"T…t…true," Fermat replied the experience with the Hood over spring break and seeing the Hood's mental powers had forced him to realise that science could not yet understand all of natures mysteries.

Alan smiled and was about to speak when he again felt the tingling in his head and directional buzzing in his ears that came with sensing another werewolf. He spun around to face the bedroom door as it opened and Scott poked his head in. Scott smiled when he saw that Fermat was awake.

"Morning Fermat," Scott said. "Glad to see you back in the land of the living."

"M…m…morning Scott," Fermat replied. "T…t…thanks." Scott's smile broadened for a moment then Scott turned to Alan.

"I guessed you wouldn't make it to the bathroom on the first go," Scott said. "We've just received a call from dad."

"And," Alan asked nervously, despite what John had said earlier he was nervous about facing dad after last night.

"He's at Frederick's Pass," Scott replied giving Alan a look that said everything would be okay. "He and Brains will be here in ten minutes."


	5. Chapter 5

****

Chapter Five

Green River Cabin

Ten Minutes Later

Jeff Tracy took a deep calming breath to settle his nerves before opening the drivers site door and climbing out of the car rented from the airport. On the other side of the car the front passenger door opened and Brains also got out.

Neither Jeff or Brains had spoken much during the journey here from Tracy Island; they'd both been too lost in there own thoughts to really talk. Jeff in thinking and worrying about Alan, wondering how Alan was taking finding out that he was a werewolf and coping with the memory of a painful first transformation that he had no preparation for.

Jeff had been silently beating himself up about that all the way here as it was his fault that Alan had not been prepared for his first transformation. He'd allowed Alan to go this school camp – which hadn't been necessary it was just an optional end of term thing that Alan had surprised him by asking to go to – when he really should have stopped him. _Too late for recriminations now Jeff,_ he thought, _you can't change what happened, you can only deal with the aftermath of what happened last night._

Brains for his part had been thinking and worrying about Fermat all the way here. Especially as Fermat had been out with Alan last night and had seen Alan transform into a werewolf for the first time.

Brains knew from his own experience that the transformation wasn't an easy thing to watch, he'd seen various members of Tracy family change into their werewolf forms on a number of occasions over the last few years. The first time he had seen it if he remembered correctly was when Gordon first became a werewolf just after he started his association with Jeff Tracy, and he remembered being absolutely terrified at the time. Now though on the rare instances where he did see a Tracy change – it was rare as the Tracy's tended to go off on their own when they were going to change – he merely found it fascinating.

"Brains," Jeff said bringing Brains fully into the here and now. "Shall we go inside?" As Jeff spoke he opened one of the cars back passenger doors and got out a rucksack in which he had put some spare clothes for Alan along with trainers and socks as Alan had lost his during his first change. It was only to be expected since he hadn't known what was happening to him, Alan wouldn't have known to take his clothes off.

"Y…y…yes," Brains answered with a nervous stutter. Jeff smiled as he closed the car door and then they started towards the cabin.

As they approached the cabin Jeff felt the familiar tingle in his head and heard the directional buzzing in his ears that let him know that another werewolf was nearby. Obviously at least one of his sons was down on the ground floor of the cabin otherwise he wouldn't be sensing them. The buzz felt like it was getting closer and then ahead of them the cabin door opened and John stood there with a welcoming smile on his face.

"Hi dad," John said as they reached the entrance.

"Hello John," Jeff replied. "How is Alan?"

"And F…F…Fermat," Brains added. John smiled softly.

"They're fine," John replied as he stood aside to allow them in. "Alan's coping surprisingly well with what happened last night. As for Fermat I haven't spoken to him but according to Scott he's fine."

"That's good to hear," Jeff replied as they entered the cabin. "Though John why do I get the impression that there is something you are not telling me." John sighed.

"Alan's nervous about facing you," John said reluctantly.

Jeff frowned in confusion why would Alan be nervous about facing him. Then understanding came, Alan was afraid that he would be mad at him for going out last night when he had asked him to stay inside. Yet he wasn't mad at Alan for going out, he knew how strong the instinct to go out was at the time of the first transformation, and he knew Alan would have fought it as long as he could.

"He's worried that I am going to be mad," Jeff said. John nodded.

"I've tried to convince him otherwise but I'm not sure if he really believes me," John replied.

"Well I'll just have to convince him myself," Jeff answered. "Where is he?"

"He's up in the number three bedroom," John replied then he turned to Brains. "Before you ask Brains Fermat is in the kitchen having breakfast."

Brains smiled in gratitude and headed of to the kitchen to see his only son. Jeff for his part headed for the stares to go and see his youngest son.

**

* * *

Alan's Room**

Alan sat nervously on the edge of the bed he had woken up lying on this morning. He knew his father had arrived as the bedroom window was open to let in some air and as a result had heard the car pull up outside. _I hope John's right and dad's not mad at me for going out,_ he thought, _I did try to stay inside. I tried so hard but the pull of the moon was too strong._

Alan looked towards the door as the feeling and buzzing of another werewolf approaching suddenly filled his head. Alan was surprised to find that he was already used to the strange extra sense that allowed him to feel another werewolf. In point of fact he found himself already getting comfortable with the knowledge that he was a werewolf. Knowing he was a werewolf somehow felt right, it made him feel whole as if some part of him had been missing throughout his whole life so far, though he hadn't been aware of it until now.

A soft knock came from the door and Alan stood up and faced it before he spoke.

"Come in," he said. The bedroom door open and the familiar form of his father came in just as the tingling and buzzing vanished from Alan's head. Smiling nervously Alan crossed the short distance to his father. Jeff simply opened his arms and brought his youngest son into a warm and comforting embrace.

For a few moments Alan just silently accepted the comfort that his dad offered. At the same time though at the back of his mind he now sensed a strength and power in his father that he had never felt before. It took only a moment for Alan to realise that what he was now sensing was the power of the werewolf that filled his fathers body. He also realised that if he hugged his brothers he would feel the same thing in them, just as his father and brothers would feel it in him.

"I'm sorry dad," he said at last his voice muffled somewhat by the fabric of his fathers shirt. "I tried to stay inside like you told me but I couldn't no matter how hard I tried." As he spoke he pulled back out of his fathers embrace.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about Alan," Jeff replied. "I know that you tried to stay inside, but I also know how strong, how overpowering the instinct to go outside is at the time of the first change."

"You're not mad," Alan asked scarcely believing that he wasn't about to get told off for not doing what his father had told him to do.

"Of course I'm not mad," Jeff replied and inwardly smiled at the look of relief that passed across Alan's face as he said that. "Why would I be mad. I know you didn't want to defy me and that you resisted the call of the moon as long as you could. You owe no apologies Alan. If anyone should apologise it should be me." Alan frowned in confusion why did dad need to apologise.

"You," he repeated.

"Yes," Jeff replied. "I made a mistake when I allowed you to go on the school camp. I should have stopped you, but I didn't and as a result of my error you had to face your first transformation alone and with no preparation."

"I should have been home before the sun went down," Alan pointed out. "But the bus broke down. Dad there is no way you could have known that was going happen."

"True. Still I shouldn't have let you go to the camp. I knew that your first transformation was coming up, but I still let you go when I should have stopped you," Jeff replied.

"I wouldn't have liked that," Alan pointed out. "Considering you've nagged me into going to school camps before and I did _ask_ to go on this one. Plus if you had told me about this werewolf thing I probably would not have believed you." Jeff smiled slightly that sounded familiar. Both Virgil and Gordon had had difficulty believing that they were werewolves when he'd told them, only really believing when they started to transform.

"You would have been just like Virgil and Gordon. They didn't really believe until they actually started to change."

"Well dad it is kind of hard to believe until it happens," Alan replied. "I mean being told that werewolves are real and that you are one is kind of unbelievable."

"Are you alright with it Alan," Jeff asked.

"I think so," Alan answered. "Its kind of cool when you think about it and knowing now that there's a wolf inside me makes me feel, I don't know, right somehow. Whole as if part of me has been missing all my life but I didn't know it." Jeff smiled at Alan's answer.

"Good," he said. "I was afraid you'd reject it."

"What good would it do," Alan asked. "I'm a werewolf whether I like it or not, and I think I am actually coming to like it. And we're not the monsters Hollywood likes to portray us to be."

"No we're not," Jeff agreed sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Now I guess you have many more questions for me."

"A few," Alan replied sitting down beside his father.

"Fire away," Jeff said smiling. Alan smiled back and asked his first question.

**

* * *

Kitchen**

Brains sat at the dining table watching his only son as Fermat finished off a large bowl of corn flakes. As soon as Fermat finished his breakfast he spoke.

"Are you a…a…all right son," he asked.

"Given w…w…what I s…s…saw last night," Fermat asked. Brains nodded. "I'm fine t…t…though seeing Alan c…c…change was s…s…scary."

"U…u…understandable," Brains replied. "I was scared the f…f…first I saw one of Tracy's t…t…transform into a w…w…werewolf."

"You knew?"

"Yes. I d…d…didn't tell you b…b…because I d…d…didn't want to f…f…frighten you, and you p…p…probably wouldn't have b…b…believed me until you saw it for y…y…yourself."

"I wouldn't have," Fermat agreed. "It's a…a…amazing how they can c…c…change like that. H…h…how does it work?"

"I am not s…s…sure," Brains admitted. "I have d…d…done some investigation. I d…d…discover that there are s…s…subtle genetic and b…b…biochemical differences b…b…between werewolves and n…n…normal people. I think it's a reaction to s…s…something in the a…a…atmosphere that's e…e…effected by the light of the full m…m…moon that t…t…triggers the change. But they are c…c…consciously capable of s…s…stopping the change or changing w…w…whenever they want to."

"How do they d…d…do that," Fermat asked. Brains just shrugged.

When it came to a scientific study of their werewolf nature the Tracy's were not the most co-operative people in the world. Brains couldn't really blame them, as he supposed that if he were a werewolf the last thing he would want would be to be poked and prodded by a curious scientist trying to find out what made him tick. Still the scientist in him couldn't help but feel disappointed and frustrated that he couldn't investigate and determine how it was that werewolves could really exist – even though real ones were very different to there mythical counterparts.

"The T…T…Tracy's are r…r…reluctant to be e…e…examined and t…t…tested so that that and m…m…many other q…q…questions c…c…can be answered."

"I g…g…guess that's u…u…understandable," Fermat replied. "Though the f…f…fact that my b…b…best friend is a w…w…werewolf is g…g…going to t…t…take some g…g…getting used to."

"You'll get used to it Fermat," Scott's voice abruptly said making both Fermat and Brains jump. They turned to look at the entrance to see the oldest of the Tracy sons coming into the kitchen, moving with the normal, silent, effortless grace of all the Tracy's. _They move with a predator's grace,_ Fermat thought, _a predators stealth, because at the end of the day being werewolves that's what they are, predators though they remain themselves while a wolf so I doubt very much they would hunt or kill._

Though thinking about the predator's stealth that Scott had just shown albeit unknowingly Fermat couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear. He realised that it would be incredibly easy for one of the Tracy's to use their abilities to kill especially when they were in werewolf form. Though the rational part of Fermat's mind told him to judge the Tracy's on their personalities and doing that he just knew that they weren't killers in either human or werewolf form.

"Scott you s…s…startled us," Brains said.

"Sorry I didn't mean to," Scott replied apologetically. "But as I was saying Fermat you'll soon get used to Alan being a werewolf. Just remember that whatever form he's in Alan is still the same person you've always known."

As he spoke Scott walked across the kitchen to where the car keys were kept on a series of small hooks on the wall, and picked up the set hanging there.

"I u…u…understand Scott," Fermat replied. "Where are you g…g…going?"

"To the school camp," Scott answered. "I'm going to pick up yours and Alan's things, when I return we'll be heading home, all of us."

"B…b…but you and John are on l…l…leave," Brains objected.

"True. But were coming back with you for a day or two till we are sure that Alan's all right and has properly adjusted to being a werewolf. We should all be there for him when he changes tonight."

"H…h…he's going to c…c…change again," Fermat asked.

"Of course," Scott replied. "Though this will be the last time for at least a month as tonight is the last night of the full moon and this is Alan's first cycle so he will change into his werewolf form again tonight when the moon comes up."

"W…w…will it h…h…hurt him like it d…d…did last night," Fermat asked shivering as he remembered hearing Alan's screaming/growling as he went through a transformation that had obviously been extremely painful.

"No. It only hurts the first time," Scott replied. "When he changes tonight Alan won't experience pain."

"I s…s…see," Fermat replied. "W…w…why does it h…h…hurt the f…f…first time?" Scott shrugged.

"I don't know it just does," Scott answered. "Its just one of those things that happens I suppose there is a reason out there somewhere but damned if I know what it is. Now if you'll excuse me."

Both Brains and Fermat nodded; Scott smiled back and then left the kitchen. But he didn't head straight for the front door instead he headed upstairs since he needed to use the bathroom and he wanted to quickly check on Alan before he left. Still smiling he headed upstairs.

**

* * *

Alan's Room**

A Few Minutes Later

Alan was enjoying the talk he was having with his father. Jeff was patiently answering all his questions about being a werewolf, even when they seemed to be stupid questions.

"Have our family always been werewolves," Alan asked.

"To be honest I'm not sure," Jeff admitted. "I know every Tracy for the last two hundred years has been a werewolf, that's when our ancestors emigrated to America from Europe. Before that I don't know as no records exist from that time. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious," Alan replied. Jeff smiled.

"Understandable," Jeff said. Alan started to open his mouth to speak again but before he could get a word out he again felt another werewolf approaching.

In almost perfect unison Alan and Jeff turned to look at the door as they felt/sensed the other werewolf get closer and closer until there came a soft knock at the door, a moment before it opened and Scott poked his head it.

"Dad I'm about to head out to the school camp to collect Alan and Fermat's things. We can leave for home as soon as I get back."

"All right Scott," Jeff replied not surprised that John and Scott were coming back to Tracy Island with them, though it would probably only be for a day or two. Until they were sure that Alan had properly adapted to the fact that they were all werewolves. Alan wasn't surprised either, he knew that Scott especially would be in full protective and worried big brother mode around him for awhile.

Scott smiled at them then left heading downstairs for the entrance. Alan listened until Scott was out of range for his hearing, but only for a moment. After a few seconds of silence he heard a soft crunching noise coming from the direction of the window.

"What is that," Alan asked. Jeff smiled he could hear it as well, and he knew what it was, and he was aware that it afforded him an opportunity to teach Alan how to properly use his werewolf hearing.

"Listen to the sound Alan," he instructed, "really listen to it then tell me what it is." Alan raised an eyebrow but did as his father instructed and listened to the sound and found himself identifying it easily.

"Its gravel," he said. "Being trodden on Scott must be out on the drive." Jeff smiled.

"That's precisely what it is," Jeff replied as the crunching sounds stopped. "You will find Alan that you can track and identify sounds much more easily now and that you can hear more and pick up sounds from further away."

"Cool," Alan answered remembering last night when his hearing had picked up every faint rustle and movement in the forest around him and Fermat.

"I imagined you would say that," Jeff said as they both heard a car engine start.

Jeff waited until the sound of the engine receded as Scott drove off before speaking again, he picked up the rucksack that he had brought with him from home.

"I've brought you some spare clothes along with socks and trainers to replace the ones you lost last night." Alan smiled.

"Thanks dad," he replied. It would be nice to wear something other than the clothes John had kindly loaned him this morning. Jeff smiled back.

"You're welcome," Jeff replied holding out the rucksack which Alan gratefully took from him. "I'll leave you now to get changed. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Ok dad."

Jeff smiled again and stood up with the same ease that Alan or his brothers would stand up with. Unlike most men his age Jeff did not have the first twinges of arthritis his joints were as healthy as they had been when he was Scott's age and would be until the day he died. The greater regenerative abilities of werewolf tissues meant that it was very, very rare for arthritis to affect them. Usually when it did it was because the werewolf in question was half human, which was uncommon but not unheard of.

Jeff turned away from Alan and walked out of the room, being careful to close the door behind him so that his youngest son would have some privacy in which to get changed.

Alan smiled and stood up before placing the rucksack down on the bed and opening it. Inside was a white T-shirt, blue jeans, a pair of grey underpants, white sports socks and a pair of his trainers. Smile widening Alan took them out before stripping off the clothes John had loaned him and starting to pull on the clothes that his father had brought him from home.

As he put them on Alan realised that they fit him perfectly and he couldn't help but wonder why that was given that he was taller and more muscular after last night. After a moment he shrugged. It was of no consequence.

He was just glad to be back in his own clothes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Tracy One

Approaching Tracy Island

A Few Hours Later

Jeff Tracy smiled when the familiar look of his families island home came into view as Scott guided Tracy One down out of the drifting, fluffy white clouds on approach to the island.

It had taken longer than Jeff would have thought to return home. Scott had been a bit late getting back to Green River from the school camp having to deflect the suspicions of the two teachers in charge of the camp who found it a bit convenient that Alan was suddenly ill and that his older brothers had found him and Fermat.

On top of that they'd been delayed getting back to the airport by a road traffic accident that had blocked two of the lanes of the motorway to the airport. Between those two things it had made them three hours late and it was now late afternoon/early evening though sundown was still a good three hours off. Still Jeff hated being late getting anywhere, and to top it off he like everyone on Tracy One was starving.

Jef turned in the copilot's seat to look back into the main area of the luxury jet.

"Strap yourselves in everyone," Jeff said, "we're coming in to land." Immediately he glimpsed everyone else onboard Tracy One stopping what they had been doing to pass the time during the flight from the US mainland and began buckling into their seats ready for landing.

Jeff turned back around in his seat to look out the front window as Tracy Island got closer and closer. They would be down in a few more minutes.

**

* * *

Main Complex**

Tracy Island

Virgil Tracy came out onto the sundeck with a wide smile on his face. He'd been in dad's office returning a file dad had asked him to read through when the monitor on dad's desk had buzzed.

When he'd investigated what had set off the alarm he'd discovered that the islands sensors had picked up an approaching aircraft. A check of its transponder code had revealed that it was Tracy One. Dad and Brains were finally coming back with Alan, Fermat, Scott and John. Virgil knew that Scott and John were coming back as well as dad had called before they left the cabin at Green River. Something that hadn't surprised Virgil one bit.

Gordon looked over from where he was reading a diving magazine when he sensed Virgil approaching.

"Hey Virg what's up?" Gordon asked seeing the smile on Virgil's face.

"Nothing major," Virgil replied. "Just that Tracy One is on approach." Gordon smiled broadly.

"Really! Cool," Gordon said getting to his feet magazine instantly forgotten. "We going to go to the airstrip and meet them?"

"Yeah," Virgil replied even as out of the corner of his eye he noticed Kyrano quietly listening to their conversation. Virgil turned to look straight at the Malaysian manservant who blushed embarrassed as he realised that he had been eavesdropping on a private conversation.

"I'm sorry Virgil," Kyrano said his eyes downcast in shame. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Its okay Kyrano no harm done," Virgil replied. Kyrano looked up smiling in relief.

"I will go and tell my wife to prepare some food," Kyrano said. "No doubt everyone will be hungry by now." Virgil nodded agreeing completely as he could feel the pangs of hunger starting in his stomach, and for a werewolf there were only a few things worse than being hungry.

Kyrano inwardly smiled at Virgil's reaction and he could see Gordon was feeling the same as Virgil. _Never fails the mention of food always gets there attention,_ he thought amused knowing that a werewolf's weakest point was his or her stomach, mention food and you had there undivided attention. B_ut then again if I had there kind of metabolism then I would probably feel the same way as them about wanting food a lot,_ Kyrano thought still amused then turned and walked off in search of Onaha.

Virgil and Gordon watched him leave then Virgil turned to Gordon.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get to the airstrip." Then without another word Virgil turned in the direction of the path that led to the airstrip and started in that direction at a brisk jogging pace. Gordon smiled and followed easily matching his older brothers pace as they headed towards the airstrip.

**

* * *

Island Airstrip**

Virgil and Gordon reached the airstrip just as Tracy One touched down at the edge of the runway and taxied along it before coming to a stop in the aircraft parking area. Smiling they approached Tracy One sensing the presence of their family on board the aircraft as they did so.

They walked up to the side of Tracy One then patiently waited as the boarding slowly lowered and the hatch opened. Virgil and Gordon kept their eyes focused on the door curious as to who would emerge from Tracy One first.

**

* * *

Tracy One**

Alan smiled in relief when Tracy One came to a halt. While the flight home had been pleasant enough he was glad that it was over as it was so good to be home again, like everyone else on the planet he hated it when he was away from home. True the room he and Fermat shared at Wharton wasn't bad but it wasn't the same or even in the same league as the island that was there mutual home. He released his seat belt and stood up as the hatch was remotely opened from the front control cabin.

As he started for the hatch Alan immediately began to sense another werewolf outside but the feeling was different this time. The buzzing in his ears was slightly different in pitch. Alan was confused for a moment but soon realised why the feeling was different. He wasn't just sensing another werewolf he was sensing two of them, he smiled when he realised that Virgil and Gordon must have come to meet them.

Smiling widely Alan stepped out of Tracy One onto the ramp and was momentarily dazzled by the bright tropical sunshine. Blinking to clear the afterimage from his eyes Alan descended the ramp and sure enough Virgil and Gordon was standing there waiting for them with wide smiles on their faces. Alan walked over to them and was immediately was pulled into warm hugs first by Gordon and then Virgil.

As with his father earlier Alan immediately felt the werewolf inside his brothers but he noticed something strange. The strength of the werewolf inside was different in each of them, it felt weaker in Gordon than in Virgil and both felt considerably weaker than the werewolf inside dad did. _Hmm does the werewolf grow in power as you get older, or does it just take a few years for the wolf to reach its full power,_ Alan thought. He made a mental note to ask later as Virgil was opening his mouth to talk.

"Hi squirt," Virgil said smiling ruffling Alan's blond hair affectionately with one hand. "Are you alright?"

"Hi Virg I'm fine," Alan replied. "I'm okay with everything. Its actually quite cool." Alan smirked as Virgil and Gordon exchanged a look of surprise. "What you expected me too completely freak out?" he asked.

"Given how you found out that would have been understandable," Gordon replied.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't freak a little," Alan admitted. "I mean who wouldn't freak at suddenly out of the blue turning into a werewolf."

"True," Virgil replied. Alan smiled, even as he heard everyone else disembarking Tracy One. He moved off to the side as Virgil looked over his shoulder at the people emerging from Tracy One. Gordon followed him and the two youngest Tracy sons moved just out of earshot of the others so they could talk privately.

"Are you sure you're alright with this werewolf thing," Gordon asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," Alan replied. "As I said its actually quite cool when you think about it. Though I suppose the acid test will come tonight when I change again."

Gordon looked at Alan thoughtfully for a moment. Though his younger brother was hiding it well Gordon could tell that Alan was nervous about the thought of turning into a werewolf again tonight. A situation that Gordon could well understand as it still seemed like yesterday that he himself had gone through his first transformation.

"You know you don't have to be on your own when that happens," Gordon said at last. "I could come with you and change with you if you want me to." Alan smiled.

"I would like that," Alan replied. "If you're sure you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind," Gordon answered, though it wasn't necessary for him to turn into a werewolf this month it would be nice to change anyway. Being human all the time was boring, it was fun to change, and like his father and older brothers Gordon found changing into his werewolf form to be a great stress reliever. Though tonight he wouldn't change for any reason other than to help Alan get used to the reality of what they were.

"Thanks Gordon," Alan said strangely feeling very relieved that tonight he wouldn't be alone tonight when he again transformed into a werewolf. He hadn't realised the prospect of changing alone again had been bothering him so much until Gordon had mentioned it.

"You're welcome," Gordon replied. Before either of them could speak again they both sensed another werewolf approaching, in unison they turned their heads back towards Tracy One to see their father coming towards them.

"What are you two talking about," Jeff asked cautiously when he had reached them, normally when Gordon and Alan talked on their own you could practically guarantee that they were plotting mischief. Both were practical jokers and when they joined forces for a prank everyone could watch out.

"Nothing like what you're probably thinking dad," Gordon replied honestly. "We were talking about tonight. We've decided that Alan won't be on his own tonight, I'll change with him."

"Why am I not surprised," Jeff said smiling knowing how close Alan and Gordon were. Sometimes they were like twins born four years apart. "Though don't be surprised if someone else joins you two tonight."

"That someone being Scott," Gordon said sharing a knowing glance with Alan. They both knew that come hell or high water Scott would be there tonight when Alan changed into a werewolf. The only thing that would possibly stop Scott from being there was if there was a callout for International Rescue.

"You can guarantee it," Jeff agreed. "Now then lets head back to the villa, Virgil tells me that Kyrano was going to find Onaha and get her to do something to eat."

"Really! Cool I'm starving," Alan said vaguely surprised at how much being as hungry as he was now was bothering him. He had missed meals in the past and being hungry hadn't really bothered him, but now the hungry feeling in his stomach was really bothering him. _Guess that's part of the whole werewolf thing,_ Alan thought, _my metabolism is different now that the werewolf in me is active so I'm noticing my hunger more._

**

* * *

A Few Minutes Later**

Alan smiled as he stepped onto the sundeck from the path through the lush, tropical jungle that dominated most of the island. Even from here he smelt something delicious coming from inside the villa.

"Something smells nice," he said trying but failing to identify what Onaha was cooking with his enhanced sense of smell from here. Alan guessed he would be able to once he got more experience or was closer to the villa or both.

"Its chicken and bacon," Scott said as he realised that Alan had tried to identify what was being cooked but wasn't experienced enough with his senses to do so from here.

"That was a good attempt Alan," Jeff added like Scott realising what Alan had tried to do. "Keep practising you'll soon get the hang of using your senses."

"Thanks dad, thanks Scott," Alan replied.

Listening quietly Fermat found the information or rather the implication that the Tracy's had superior sensory perception to a human fascinating. _Superior senses, silent movement, the ability to change shape, what other abilities do they have,_ he wondered.

Though knowing what he knew now Fermat realised how little he had really known about the Tracy's, how much of an enigma they had been before. It was a little unsettling but at the same time he took comfort in the fact that Alan hadn't known himself until now after his first transformation. Though now Fermat couldn't help but wonder what other secrets the Tracy family had.

Though he doubted that they could be as big or as amazing as the one he had just learned. A secret that he was still coming to terms with, Fermat fully realised that it would probably be awhile before he really come to terms with the reality that the Tracy's were a family of werewolves. Though he had already accepted that at the end of the day they were still the same people he'd always known, he just knew more about them now.

Fermat came out of his thoughts as they were now walking up the steps into the main house. As they entered Onaha Belagant appeared from the corridor that connected to both the kitchen and the dining room.

"Welcome back Mr Tracy," Onaha said with a warm smile. "Dinner is ready."

"Thank you Onaha," Jeff replied. "It smells delicious as usual." Onaha's smile widened at the compliment, and then she turned and walked back in the direction of the dining room. The sound of footsteps behind her told Onaha that six hungry werewolves, and two equally hungry humans were following her.

* * *

Tin-Tin Belagant had just finished putting the food on the table when the posse headed by her mother came in. She inwardly smiled at the look of surprise that appeared momentarily on her mother's face at the sight of the food already out and ready to be eaten.

Wordlessly everyone moved to their familiar seats and sat down as Kyrano came in from the kitchen carrying a tray of cold drinks. As he father started handing out the cold drinks Tin-Tin quietly looked Alan over. He seemed to be all right with the knowledge that he was a werewolf just as she had expected, and she couldn't deny that the changes in his appearance particularly the increase in height and muscular size made him even more handsome to look at than ever.

Alan noticed that Tin-Tin was watching him, he looked over and gave her a small smile that indicated he wanted to talk to her later. Tin-Tin smiled back letting Alan know that she was looking forward to it.

Jeff noticed the silent exchange between Alan and Tin-Tin and inwardly smiled to himself. Penelope had been right, there was a romance brewing between his youngest son and the only child of his loyal manservant. Jeff silently wished them good luck; Alan and Tin-Tin would be good for each other if they could make the relationship work.

Out of the corner of his eye Jeff noticed that Gordon had also seem the exchange and was about to comment on it. It was also apparent to Jeff that Scott had noticed as his oldest son shot Gordon a look that said 'keep that big mouth of yours shut Gordon.'

"Okay what's going on with all the looks," Virgil asked.

"Its nothing Virgil," Jeff replied as Kyrano finished putting out the drinks and joined everyone at the table. "Let's just have dinner shall we." Smiling everyone tucked into the meal Onaha had prepared, a meal that consisted of strips of warm chicken breast and bacon mixed in with a salad.

* * *

They were halfway through there mean when the familiar wail of the International Rescue alarm split the air instantly triggering a chorus of groans from around the table.

"You know," Gordon said as everyone stood up. "Just for once it would be nice to have a meal and not be interrupted by that damned alarm." Everyone laughed as all six Tracy's accompanied by Brains, Fermat and Tin-Tin left the room at a run.

As he ran with everyone else Alan realised that he couldn't go on this particular mission – no matter how much he wanted to – and he knew and understood why. There was less than three hours until the full moon appeared and he again changed into a werewolf.

There was no way to say how long the rescue would go on for, so there was no way he could go. If the rescue was a complex difficult one – which was likely as no one called International Rescue for something easy – then it easily take longer than three hours. If he went on the rescue and it took longer than three hours then depending where the rescue was he could end up turning into a werewolf in the middle of the danger zone. Alan did not need to be told that that happening would not be a good thing, especially if someone from the media saw him transform. So he couldn't take the chance of going. This time he had to stay behind.

He dropped back a bit allowing the others run ahead of him. Jeff immediately noticed and dropped back to match Alan's pace which had slowed to normal walking pace.

"Alan?" Jeff asked implying multiple questions in that one word. Alan looked at his father with a knowing look in his blue eyes.

"I can't go on this mission can I dad," Alan said.

"No I'm afraid that you can't," Jeff confirmed inwardly bracing himself for an angry protest from his youngest son. Needless to say he was surprised when the outburst did not materialise.

"I guessed as much," Alan replied. "You don't have to say why dad. I understand that it would be too dangerous for me to come along considering I'll be changing in a few short hours."

"It would be," Jeff agreed. "You don't mind staying here?" Alan shook his head.

"No," Alan replied. "I know that this werewolf thing is a secret that we must keep." Jeff smiled proud of the mature acceptance of having to remain behind that Alan was showing here.

"Yes we have to keep what we are a secret from the world in general, for more reasons than you know," Jeff answered.

"What do you mean dad?" Alan asked.

"There is no time to explain now Alan. I'll just say that our kind has enemies. Enemies that in there own way are more dangerous and ruthless than the Hood at his worst. Enemies who would not hesitate to kill us."

Before Alan could speak and question his father further they reached Jeff's office/study which had already been changed into the high tech command and control centre of International Rescue by John who now manned the main console with Brains. Though a fully trained thunderbird John generally preferred to man command and control than go out in the field, though he did his share of fieldwork.

As they entered command and control Jeff's whole demeanour changed from the loving father who had been talking to Alan to the all business commander and chief of International Rescue.

"Mine collapse in South Africa," John answered in a professional voice his training having completely taken over, as it had in all of them. Calmly John elaborated on the situation. "There has apparently been a large explosion on the surface. The topmost level of the mine has completely collapsed blocking all surface access. There are around six hundred mine workers trapped underground on five different levels, there condition is unknown, and just to make matters worse the explosion has cracked the bottom of the main waste water lake. Contaminated water is slowly getting into and flooding the mine."

Though he kept his face calm Jeff inwardly grimaced, industrial accidents, especially mining accidents were always difficult rescues. After a moment of considering and processing the information that John had just provided Jeff turned to look at Scott, Virgil and Gordon who were standing near there portraits waiting for the order to go.

"Okay boys lets go," Jeff said.

"F.A.B," Scott, Virgil and Gordon replied in unison and turned around before moving towards there portraits. Jeff followed them. As they approached the portraits each rose into the ceiling revealing individual lift compartments.

As soon as they were all in there lift compartments Jeff turned in his lift compartment so he was looking back into the command and control room. For a moment his eyes met John's and in his gaze he silently asked John to look after Alan tonight and in John's blue eyes Jeff saw that John understood what he meant. Then the moment passed and Jeff spoke the coded command that started the lifts moving.

"Thunderbirds are go," he said. The lift doors closed and lifts started moving heading for the silos and the Thunderbirds.

Alan looked at the now closed again portrait panels, wishing he could go but knowing this time he was not going.

"Are you alright Alan," John asked his youngest sibling.

"Yeah I'm fine John," Alan replied. "I just wish I could be with them."

"It's only this once Alan," John said comfortingly. Alan turned to look at his older brother and smiled.

"I know," Alan replied. "I'm going to go and watch the launches."

"Sure," John watched Alan leave command and control with Fermat and Tin-Tin following him, then he sighed and returned his attention to the console and helping Brains with the preparations to launch the Thunderbirds.


	7. Chapter 7

****

Chapter Seven

Mining Site

South Africa, Thirty Minutes Later

Sitting in the pilot's seat of Thunderbird One Scott made an aerial survey of the mining site prior to landing. It did not look good.

A series of buildings had been literally blown apart, scattering debris and smoke was still rising from the gutted skeletons of the buildings. A number of the other buildings had collapsed and from here he could see the depression in the ground where the top level of the mine had collapsed after the massive initial blast.

Seeing the full extent of the collapse Scott frowned in concern, while he was no mining engineer or a geologist he knew that the explosion and subsequent collapse, not to mention the water that was getting in to the mine, would have seriously weakened the structure of the rest of the mine. It was only a matter of time before another mine level collapsed and another and another in a devastating but simple cascade reaction that would be totally lethal to the men trapped underground.

Scott's hands danced across his instruments focusing Thunderbird One's sensors on the mine and running as detailed a scan as he could on the status of the mine. The information he got back made him quietly groan the explosion had opened fault lines all over the mine, total collapse was inevitable, it was only a matter of time. The sensors didn't penetrate very far into the ground as something in the rocks was breaking up the sensor beams, scattering them but he was able to locate the survivors on the second level. He registered a cluster of lifeforms gathered together but the metals in the rocks were disrupting his sensors so much that he was unable to determine how many there were.

Scott sighed softly. The fact that there sensors were being disrupted and were only effective over short range was going to make this rescue even more challenging that it would otherwise have been.

"Thunderbird One to base and Thunderbird Two," Scott said into the radio.

"Go ahead Scott," John's voice responded instantly from command and control back on Tracy Island.

"Go ahead Scott," Virgil's voice echoed from Thunderbird Two a moment later.

"I've arrived at danger zone," Scott replied. "My initial scans of the mine shows that the blast has opened numerous fault lines, total collapse is inevitable going on these readings. Plus we have another problem some metallic elements in the rocks around here are disrupting our sensors reducing range and accuracy considerably."

Listening carefully for a reaction Scott smiled to himself when he heard someone – it sounded like dad – curse under his breath on Thunderbird Two. _Know the feeling,_ he thought.

"Understood Scott," Virgil answered at last. "That's going to make our job a bit more difficult."

"Yeah. I'm heading in to land now," Scott said. "What's your ETA Virgil?"

"We will be there in twenty minutes Scott," Virgil replied.

"F.A.B," Scott said in acknowledgement even as he started Thunderbird One moving again abandoning his stationary hover position, he moved slowly towards the staging area that local emergency and rescue services had set up beyond the perimeter of the mine.

Twenty minutes didn't give him a lot of time to come up with a rescue plan ready to be put into action when Thunderbird Two arrived, but he'd manage it. He always did and he'd be happy when this rescue was over as they could get back home then and support Alan in his next werewolf transformation which a glance at the clock showed was now only two hours away.

Scott sighed and dismissed thoughts of Alan from his mind for a moment. He had work to do and he was going to do it.

**

* * *

Tracy Island**

Alan Tracy sat out on the sundeck besides the diving pool gazing out to sea watching the sun as it slowly sunk below the horizon, soon to disappear entirely leaving an afterglow in the sky that, would over a period of about an hour, fade away to be replaced by the star filled blackness of the night. Soon after that the full moon would appear over the horizon and he would again transform into a werewolf.

Alan sighed to himself as he looked at the slowly sinking sun that was casting a rich golden light on this part of the island. He knew that anyone who saw him out here would be surprised to see him. Normally when there was rescue going on he would be in command and control, blue eyes fixed on the screens drinking in the details excitedly. But Alan found that the rescue wasn't grabbing his attention this evening.

Instead his attention was being all taken up by what he knew was going to happen to him tonight after moonrise. As the time of his second werewolf transformation got closer and closer Alan found himself getting increasingly nervous about it.

There was no avoiding it he knew, when the moon came up he would change into a werewolf whether he wanted to or not as he couldn't control the transformation like his father and brothers could yet. It was the inevitability of his change that was bothering him, that he was going to change form soon. He couldn't help but wonder if the metamorphosis would affect his mind as well as his body this time. When he changed would he still be Alan Tracy?

Alan knew that the fear that when he turned into a werewolf he wouldn't be himself anymore was foolish and irrational. Dad and his brothers had all told him that they remained themselves when they changed into their werewolf forms, but try as he might Alan couldn't shake off his fear.

Alan sighed again and looked at the setting sun as it vanished beneath the horizon. _Soon,_ he thought, _I'll know soon if that irrational fear of mine is just that an irrational fear._

Alan relaxed back on the chair he was sitting in only to suddenly sit bolt upright again as a sensation unlike anything he'd felt before suddenly began to fill his body. It was a strange internal warmth, mixed with a sensation that was similar to the tingling sensation he'd experienced before his first transformation but different at the same time. And there was something else a feeling like there was something building up inside him in the core of his being, somekind of energy.

Confused as to what the strange sensation inside him was, but knowing somehow that it was linked to him being a werewolf Alan stood up and headed inside to speak to John. He hated to bother his brother during a rescue but he needed to know why he was suddenly feeling like this. Unknowingly moving with the same silence and grace that his father and brothers moved he headed towards command and control.

**

* * *

Command and Control**

John frowned as he studied the screens with Brains trying to find away to quickly adapt there sensors to scan the mine better before Thunderbird Two reached the danger zone in a few minutes from now.

They weren't having much luck. They couldn't come up with anything to adjust the sensors without reconfiguring circuitry and rewriting filter programs which was something that couldn't realistically be done out in the field as it would time, time that they did not have.

"There is nothing we can do about the sensors is there Brains," John said.

"I'm a…a…afraid that you are r…r…right John," Brains replied in agreement. "We can't c…c…counter the i…i…interference from the m…m…metals in the rocks in the time that we have."

John nodded and sighed to himself it looked like this particular rescue was going to be one of the long ones and considering the timing of the rescue he knew it would not sit well with dad or with his brothers, especially with Scott.

"Mobile control to base any luck with those sensors," Scott's voice abruptly said from the speakers.

"Negative Scott sorry," John replied honestly apologetic. "We have tried everything we can think of and there is no way to adjust the sensors in the time that we have."

"Damn. Understood John. Thanks for trying guys," Scott replied.

"No problem Scott. What's your status there," John asked.

"We have one possibly lucky break. The mines escape shaft is still largely intact from the second level down it's only blocked on the surface and first level where the collapse occurred. If we can use the mole to tunnel into it we will have access to the whole mine."

"Using the mole would be risky," John pointed out.

"I know but I see no alternative."

"There isn't one," John agreed.

"I better get ready to brief the others on our course of action," Scott replied.

"Good luck."

"Thanks we're going to need it on this one." With that Scott cut off and John sighed and leaned back in his seat.

It was at that moment that he feltthe familiar tingling in his head accompanied by a buzzing in his left ear, which was facing the door. Alan was approaching and feeling a familiar sensation inside him he smiled guessing why Alan was coming back to command and control. He looked towards the entrance a few moments before his younger brother appeared from around the corner and walked into command and control.

"John can I talk to you," Alan asked.

"Sure squirt," John replied. "Brains do you mind taking over here?"

"No I don't m…m…mind," Brains replied as he normally ran command and control and he'd known from the moment John had stayed behind that he wouldn't stay in command and control for long. Not with Alan due to transform into a werewolf again soon. Brains wouldn't be surprised if he didn't see John again for the rest of the night, he wouldn't be surprised if John changed into a werewolf with Alan tonight in fact he would be surprised if he didn't.

"Thanks Brains," John said standing up. Brains just smiled and returned his attention to the screens and the data displayed on them. John turned to Alan. "Come on."

John led the way out of command and control back into the hallways and corridors of the villa complex. Alan followed and they made there way through the villa back to the main room and ultimately out onto the sundeck where they sat down at the patio table.

"I can guess what you want to talk to me about," John said. "You've got a strange sensation inside you?"

"Yes you feel it too?" Alan asked.

"Of course I do," John replied. "All werewolves do. Though I can ignore it if I want to, just like you will soon be able to. After this month it won't bother you unless you let it."

"It's a weird feeling John," Alan replied. "What's causing it?"

"Basically your body knows instinctively that there's a full moon tonight," John explained. "What you can feel is the approach of moonrise. Your body is starting to react to the changes in the air. Some of the feeling is that the rest is your body is preparing itself for the coming transformation."

"Ah so this feeling of something building up inside me is the werewolf in me getting ready to come out?"

"In a manner of speaking yes. The closer we get to moonrise the stronger the feeling will get. It will only stop when the moon comes up."

"And that's when the transformation will take place," Alan said trying to hide how nervous he was about turning into a werewolf again.

"Its okay to be nervous Alan," John said reading Alan like a book. "Its perfectly natural to be nervous as its only your second transformation."

"Am I that obvious?" Alan asked.

"If you know what to look for," John replied, "now what else is bothering you about the coming change. Don't try to deny it I know something is bugging you about it." Alan sighed.

"Its stupid," he replied.

"Let me be the judge of that Alan. Tell me what's troubling you?"

"Promise you won't laugh."

"I promise."

Alan sighed knowing that he was not going to get out of talking about this and truth be told he didn't want to get out of it. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Then he told John everything.

**

* * *

Thunderbird Two**

Mine Site, South Africa

A Few Minutes Later

Virgil along with Jeff and Gordon listened intently as from mobile control Scott outlined their course of action.

They would be using the Mole to drill down into the mine and gain access to the escape shaft. Then two of them would leave the Mole and descend the steps in the escape shaft to those deep levels which had yet to be flooded and start level by level guiding the miners up towards the second level.

Meanwhile the third would start loading the mineworkers already on the second level aboard the Mole and start bringing them back to the surface. It would take awhile to get everyone back to the surface as the Moles passenger/cargo compartment had a maximum capacity of 26 people in sardine can discomfort, but it was the only way that they were going to get the miners out of the doomed mine.

"Are there any questions," Scott asked over the radio once he had finished the briefing for the rescue plan that he had worked out. Virgil looked over at his father and younger brother. Gordon and Jeff shook their heads they had no questions.

"No Scott there are no questions," Virgil replied. "You've covered everything."

"Okay," Scott replied and Virgil gave a small smile hearing the relief in Scott's voice. "Then lets get this thing started shall we?"

"F.A.B," Jeff, Virgil and Gordon replied in unison all eager to get going. The sooner they put their rescue into operation the sooner they would be finished and could go back home to Tracy Island and Alan.

Without speaking again they all stood up from there seats and left the bridge of Thunderbird Two for the primary pod bay where the Mole and a few other machines and bits of equipment designed for industrial and underground rescues were stored primed and ready to be used. On the way they grabbed helmets and breather packs that would both hide there identities from the miners they would be saving and feed them clear air as they didn't know what the atmosphere was like in the mine.

**

* * *

A Few Minutes Later**

Virgil sat beside Gordon in the front compartment of the Mole as their father manipulated the Moles controls as they moved away from Thunderbird Two to drilling position.

They had briefly talked amongst themselves and decided who would be doing what during this mission. They had decided that Jeff would remain with the Mole and start bringing the miners on level two back to the surface while Virgil and Gordon descended to the lower levels of the mine.

His eyes focused on the displays Jeff guided the Mole into the proper position then pressed the control that stopped the Moles transporter.

"Mobile control from Mole. Have reached drilling position," Jeff said into the radio.

"F.A.B you are clear to commence drilling," Scott responded instantly from mobile control.

"F.A.B," Jeff replied manipulating the controls of the Mole with expert hands.

A humming noise abruptly filled the Mole as the transporter lifted the rear of the Mole up making the nose of the mighty drilling machine drop downwards so it was pointing at the ground. The humming noise changed pitch becoming deeper and more powerful as the Moles motors started up and the drilling heads at the front of the Mole began turning, slowly at first but rapidly picking up speed until they were nothing but a blur of rapidly spinning superstrong and sharp blades.

A series of dull thuds – that were almost lost in the sound of the motors – sounded in the Mole as the locking clamps holding it to the transport sled disengaged. The Mole dropped clear of the transport sled its drill heads tearing into the sun baked earth as if it was tissue paper. A plume of earth and dust shot up into the sky as the Mole vanished beneath the ground on its way to save the miners trapped beneath the surface.

Sitting in his seat in the front compartment of the Mole Gordon quietly sighed to himself as his thoughts briefly turned away from the rescue to Alan back on Tracy Island. _I hope he's all right,_ he thought knowing in that just over an hour and a half Alan would change into his werewolf form for only the second time in his life. _John will look after him,_ Gordon reassured himself and with effort turned his attention back to the mission though one last thought crept through, _I know he will._


	8. Chapter 8

****

Chapter Eight

Sundeck

Tracy Island, Sometime Later

Alan and John talked for awhile completely oblivious to the dusk gathering around them. As he'd promised John hadn't laughed when Alan had told him what was bothering him about his inevitable second werewolf transformation nor had he thought it stupid. Instead John had been understanding, sympathetic and reassuring and had soon convinced Alan that he had nothing to fear.

Though the conversation had been largely dominated by the discussion about being werewolves Alan and John had talked about a few other things that were troubling Alan mostly about school. John was the only person that Alan really felt comfortable talking about such things with. His father was too unapproachable and to Alan's mind wouldn't listen anyway and his other brothers – especially Gordon – would just take his worries and use them as another thing to tease him with. He knew John however would keep whatever he was told in confidence.

"You'll have done fine," John reassured him when Alan confessed his nerves about the finals that he'd gone through at the end of term.

Ever since spring break he'd put a lot more effort into his schoolwork. Alan freely admitted that the events of spring break and the battle with the Hood had changed him, matured him and taught him that there was much more to being a thunderbird than cool missions. It was as much if not more about commitment and discipline as adventure and excitement. And he had carried that realisation back to school with him.

"It won't matter if I don't get A's," Alan replied.

"You can only do your best Alan," John told him. "I guess that we look like such a hard act to follow."

"You think," Alan replied. "Try like impossible."

"Alan all anyone can ask is for you to do your best. You're a very smart and determined young man Alan if you do your best then the results will surprise you."

"You really think so?"

"No. I know so." Alan smiled feeling happier.

"Thanks John," Alan said.

"Anytime," John replied with a smile and then looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes to moonrise they had to leave the villa now. John looked up from his watch to see Alan suddenly fidgeting uncomfortable obviously noticing again the feelings inside of him stirred up by the approaching full moon.

"We need to move," John said as he stood up. "Come with me Alan."

"Where are we going," Alan asked as he also stood up. John smiled.

"Somewhere we all go when the time to change comes around," he replied as he started to walk away. Alan raised an eyebrow even as he followed his older brother. He wondered where John was taking him though he knew most of the island having explored it extensively since they'd first moved here. Still he got the distinct impression that John was going to take him somewhere that he had never seen before.

* * *

Alan followed John along a jungle path that he had never known was here, though he was very curious as to where they were going he didn't ask even though it would distract him from the strange feeling inside him that was now getting somewhat uncomfortable. 

The jungle path gave way to a clearing and Alan blinked surprised realising that they were on the east side of the islands western peak. He continued to follow John as his brother walked across the clearing to what looked to be another entrance to one of the many caves and old lava tunnels that honeycombed Tracy Island, a silent reminder of the islands distant volcanic past.

Upon entering the cave after John Alan noticed that John had opened a heavy metal door in the wall and had just gone through into somekind of room. Trying not to fidget uncomfortably Alan followed him inside and saw that it was a changing room of the kind you would find in a gym or leisure centre.

Alan really didn't pay that much attention to the layout of the room as the sensation inside him was now extremely distracting and very irritating. The sensation inside him was now extremely distracting and very irritating. It was starting to drive him crazy as it was almost as bad now as what he had felt last night in the tent back at the school camp struggling futilely to resist the call of the night and the power of the werewolf that had been emerging from its long dormancy within him.

John looked at Alan sympathetically knowing what he was going through. They'd all been through it, though they all still felt the moon approaching and felt the instinct to change they were all able to ignore it. Alan wasn't yet able to because it was his first cycle and not all the changes were complete in his body yet.

"It's alright Alan," John said reassuringly. "It won't last much longer. The moon will be up in another few minutes and you will have release from it."

"I'm glad of that John," Alan replied. "This feeling is driving me crazy. Is it always like this?"

"No," John replied as he glanced at his watch. "It's almost time. You better take your clothes off before we go back outside." As he spoke he started to undo the buttons on the light short sleeved shirt he was wearing.

"You mean strip naked," Alan asked nervously.

"You don't have to get undressed if you don't want to," John replied finishing undoing his shirt and taking it off before hanging it up on a hook. Then he sat down on one of the benches and started taking off his trainers. "But it will get very uncomfortable if you don't and your clothes won't be much good to you afterwards if you don't."

Alan thought for a moment and remembered how tight his clothes had gotten before they had torn off last night when he'd first transformed into a werewolf. Nervously he started getting undressed himself.

Moments later they were both completely naked without a strip of clothing anywhere on there bodies.

"It's time," John said heading back outside, Alan followed and in seconds they were both standing outside just as the moon appeared shining its brilliant silver light on them. As the light shone on them Alan felt energy flood into his body and at the same time felt the feeling inside him changed becoming just a warmth that gradually spread outwards from the centre of his being.

Looking at John's back Alan watched amazed as John's hair changed colour going from its normal blond to silver grey. A ripple seemed to run down his brother's spine and a line of silver grey fur appeared behind it.

A tingling sensation accompanied by a feeling that felt almost like goosebumps ran down his own spine and Alan realised instantly that he was changing as well. Holding up his hands Alan watched as the muscles on his arms got more defined and then began growing bigger, much bigger. At the same time the tingling and goosebumps ran along his arms and he watched the hair there change colour turning a charcoal grey, before thickening and spreading but it wasn't hair anymore it was fur.

Alan looked down at the rest of his body to see that he was continuing to grow muscles expanding even as he somehow got taller and the dark grey fur spread all over his body. It felt so strange he could feel himself gaining weight and he could feel his increasing strength but at the same time it felt wonderful. And this time there was no pain at all, nothing except the feeling of warmth, power and strength. A sensation in his hands made him look at them again as they began to grow getting bigger and longer. Fur grew on the back of his hands and he looked at the palms as the skin there and on his fingers darkened to black and thickened until they were more like pads. He watched as his nails changed getting thicker and harder and then growing outwards but they weren't nails anymore instead they were now powerful claws. Looking down he saw that his feet had undergone the same change and were huge, furry and clawed and he could feel the padding on the underside of his feet and toes.

A strange sensation of stretching and pushing suddenly filled his head as his skull began to change shape as well. Alan felt his ears changing and shifting position on his skull moving towards the top of his skull. There was no doubt in his mind that his ears were now the pointed triangular ears of a wolf. Alan closed his eyes as he felt the very structure of his face alter. His nose and upper lip merging together while simultaneously along with his lower jaw growing outwards into a muzzle, a muzzle that was suddenly filled with sharp cutting teeth and a long tongue.

And then all the sensations stopped as with a final surge of warmth the transformation finished. Alan opened his eyes again to see he was once again looking down a muzzle.

Alan looked down examining his transformed body. His muscles were huge and powerful bigger than on a bodybuilder but there was a sleekness and leanness to them that bodybuilders lacked. His whole body was covered in charcoal grey fur and he felt powerful, he felt strong. Looking at his body he suddenly felt like he was now seeing his true self, the being that was normally hidden behind and inside a normal looking human. He could now easily understand why his father and brothers changed whenever they got the chance, it was an amazing feeling as if he had cast aside the burdens of being a human and could just be who and what he was. _This feels great,_ he thought, _I'm definitely going to do this every chance I get._

_"How are you feeling now Alan," _John's voice abruptly said into his head. Alan looked up and despite himself was still surprised when instead of a man he saw another werewolf the same height as him but with light silver-grey fur.

_"Fine,"_ Alan replied as last night when Scott had spoken to him he surprised himself by talking telepathically_. "In fact I feel better than fine. I feel absolutely fantastic. I know it's strange but for the first time I really feel like me."_

_"It's not strange at all Alan. I know what you mean and there is a freedom in this form that we don't have in human form."_

Alan nodded though the movement felt a bit odd now but then again this was only his second time in werewolf form so no doubt many things about his body were going to feel strange compared to what he was used to.

_"It feels strange. It's going to take some getting used to being in wolf form I mean."_

_"That's understandable and it does take time to get used to it and learn your capabilities. Now what do you say we go for a run?"_ Alan wished he could smile as it sounded like a great idea, just going for a run appealed to him now.

_"I would like that,"_ he replied. The image of John smiling in human form flickered through his head startling him

_"Then lets go shall we?"_

_"Yes."_

Without speaking again John started running, picking up pace to a run that few humans could hope to match, only Olympic sprinters would be able to match it and they would only be able to do it for a short time. Alan followed and found that it was incredibly easy to match John's speed and that as he ran a feeling of pleasure filled him. He was enjoying this more than he'd ever enjoyed a run before.

John glanced back at his brother.

_"You enjoying this,"_ he asked

_"Yeah I am,"_ Alan replied and again a mental image of John smiling at him flashed through his head._ "How do you do that?" _

_"Easy. Just think of the image that you want the other person to see and will them to see it. Try it."_

Alan thought for a moment then pictured a formula one racing car in his head and willed John to see it. John chuckled – which naturally came out as a very soft non-aggressive growl – as the image flashed through his head. It was no secret that Alan had a love of racing, just like he himself loved space.

_"Did it work,"_ Alan asked

_"Yes it did,"_ John replied sending the mental image of a smile at Alan and Alan sent one back._"Can we do this when were human?"_

_"No we can't, why I don't know. Be a lot easier if we could but its just one of those things. The only advantage that this gives us when were human is we can't be telepathically controlled or manipulated."_

_"That explains why the Hood couldn't control me then during that incident in spring break,"_ Alan said thoughtfully._ "He tried to and I could feel him doing it but he couldn't do anything to me other than read my thoughts."_

_"Exactly. Though it wasn't really active at that time your werewolf side was protecting you from him."_

_"Guess I've got a lot to learn about being a werewolf."_

_"Yes. The abilities are there you just need to learn how to use them and we can help you with that."_

_"Thanks John."_

_"No problem."_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Mining Site

South Africa, Ten Minutes Later

Gordon Tracy quietly sighed as they finished loading the last of the latest group of miners aboard the Mole and the Moles hatch closed. Gordon glanced at his watch as they backed away from the Mole allowing their father to start the engines once the Moles proximity sensors informed him that they were no longer in danger of getting caught in the metal blades and tracks of the Mole.

Gordon sighed again when he saw what the time was. _Damn it I had hoped we would be done by now,_ he thought knowing from the time that the full moon would have risen over Tracy Island a short while ago and that by now as a result Alan would have changed into a werewolf. _I had wanted to be there when that happened,_ he thought, _oh I know John will be with him and will help him understand what being a werewolf means but its not the same. Alan needs all of us there, but because of this damned rescue we can't be there._

Gordon looked around to see that there was only a handful of miner's left down here with himself and Virgil. Barely twenty in all, they would all be able to leave when the Mole returned this time. After they did that it wouldn't be that long before they would be back at home. Gordon already knew what he was going to do when he got back home, he would go straight to the changing room and turn into a werewolf and go and find his little brother.

Gordon felt a hand touch his arm and he looked over to see Virgil standing beside him, since they were standing close together to start with he naturally didn't sense Virgil the way he would normally though through the physical contact he immediately sensed the werewolf inside Virgil. Virgil didn't speak and he couldn't see his brother's face through the faceplate of the helmet but he didn't need to. He could guess what Virgil was saying, that he was saying 'he'll be all right'. Gordon nodded to let Virgil know that he understood the silent message.

Virgil gently released his arm and Gordon quietly sighed to himself hoping dad hurried back with the Mole soon. Then they could go back home and be with Alan. _I wonder what there doing now,_ he thought thinking of Alan and John.

**

* * *

Beach **

Tracy Island

Fermat Hackenbacker sighed and yawned slightly as he sat besides Tin-Tin Belagant on one of the pure sandy white beaches of Tracy Island watching through a mixture of torchlight and the silver light of the full moon as female sea turtles hauled themselves up out of the surf and up the beach to lay there eggs.

"Are you tired Fermat," Tin-Tin asked hearing Fermat yawn.

"A l…l…little," Fermat stammered back yawning he looked back at the jungle knowing that Alan would be in there somewhere. Or rather the werewolf he turned into would be. "I w…w…wonder what Alan's d…d…doing."

"I don't know," Tin-Tin replied. "I don't know what the Tracy's get up to when they change into werewolves and I'm not sure I really want to know. All I know is whatever they do there really relaxed and at ease the following day."

"H…h…have you e…e…ever s…s…seen them," Fermat asked curious if Tin-Tin had seen one or more of the Tracy's in werewolf form at some point. Since she lived on the island almost all the time she was bound to have.

"Only from a distance," Tin-Tin replied. "When they change they don't tend to hang around near the complex. I've only seen an actual werewolf from a distance and then only as a silhouette. I've never seen the transformation or anything not like you did with Alan last night."

"It s…s…scary to s…s…see."

"I imagine it would be its one of the reasons why they go off on there own when the time comes for them to transform. From what I understand real life werewolves don't like scaring normal people half to death."

Fermat smiled and nodded understanding perfectly, he hadn't seen Alan's final werewolf form though he'd seen enough to guess what his friend would have looked like as a werewolf and that was frightening enough. He yawned again.

"Maybe we should go back," Tin-Tin suggested to Fermat. "You look like you could do with going to sleep."

"Y…y…yes," Fermat agreed and awkwardly stood up. Tin-Tin did the same and started to lead the way back to the villa complex. It would take them along a dark, winding jungle path where seeing even with the torch would be difficult but it wouldn't take long to get back.

Fermat followed and they disappeared into the jungle.

* * *

Tin-Tin led the way along the jungle path using the torch to see the narrow path back towards the villa and avoid obstructions like the roots of the trees. Until the moment when the torch light spluttered fitfully. Tin-Tin looked at the torch in concern wondering if the battery was running out, and in that moment of distraction she tripped over a protruding tree root and fell. 

Tin-Tin cried out in pain as she felt her ankle twist badly.

"Tin-Tin are y…y…you a…a…all right," Fermat asked worriedly. Tin-Tin awkwardly tried to stand up but her right ankle refused to take her weight all she got for her efforts was a sharp blast of pain that shot right up her leg, drawing another yelp of pain from her lips.

Fermat frowned in concern and picked up the torch and carefully looked at Tin-Tin's leg. He couldn't see an obviously break but he knew that didn't mean that there couldn't be one.

"G…g…great," Fermat stammered. "Now w...w…what are we g…g…going to do?"

"I don't know Fermat," Tin-Tin replied normally they could just call the villa and one of the Tracy sons would come out to help them. But will almost all of them out on the rescue and the other two having disappeared off somewhere and turned into there werewolf forms they couldn't really do that.

"I don't know," Tin-Tin repeated.

**

* * *

A Short Distance Away **

Alan ran along with John through the jungles of Tracy Island not really caring where on the island they were going, he was just enjoying the run. Though he couldn't help but feel a little surprised by the fact that he was running fast for a sustained period and not even beginning to feel tired. He had learned that his werewolf form was powerful last night just after his first transformation but he hadn't realised that it was this powerful.

As he ran his eyes easily penetrating the darkness so he could see almost like as if it was a day Alan noticed a light ahead moving slowly along what he knew to be one of the jungle paths.

_"John is that a torch,"_ he asked his older brother

_"Indeed it is,"_ John replied_. "Fermat and Tin-Tin must have gone to one of the beaches on this side of the island probably to watch sea turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. We should wait here until they pass by." _

_"Yeah. Seeing us would probably scare them,"_ Alan agreed coming to a stop. John did the same and together the two of them watched the slowly moving light.

After a moment the light seemed to lurch then come to a halt at the same time as there sharp hearing picked up a scream.

_"That's Tin-Tin something is wrong,"_ Alan said.

_"She's probably just tripped,"_ John replied a moment before there was another pained scream_. "Okay that's not right."_

_"She's hurt. We should go over there and see what the problem is. They might need our help."_

_"Your right. Come on."_

John started moving again moving at a normal walking pace this time. Alan followed quietly hoping both that Tin-Tin was okay that however she had hurt herself it wasn't to bad and that she wouldn't completely freak out when she saw not one but two werewolves appear out of the forest.

**

* * *

Forest Trail **

Tin-Tin gasped as she tried unsuccessfully to stand up for the third time. Her right ankle refused point blank to take her weight; she obviously badly sprained or twisted it.

_"Fermat, Tin-Tin you two need any help," _John's voice abruptly said into there heads.

"John, Alan where are you," Tin-Tin called out picking up the torch and scanning the forest for any sign of them but the torch wasn't powerful enough to really penetrate the gloom of the forest.

_"In the forest near you,"_ Alan's mental voice responded_. "Are you alright?"_

"I've hurt my ankle," Tin-Tin replied. "I can't put any weight on it at all."

Tin-Tin looked at Fermat with a silent question on her face. Fermat nodded knowing what Tin-Tin was asking. She was asking if it was okay with him to ask Alan and John for assistance, given that they would be in werewolf form. He was a little nervous about seeing them but knew full well that they didn't have much choice but to ask for their help. There was no way he could hope to get the wounded Tin-Tin back to the complex on his own.

"You two can show yourselves," Tin-Tin called out. For a few moments there came no response.

_"Are you sure,"_ John asked at last and in his mental voice both Tin-Tin and Fermat heard very real concern for them.

"W…w…we are s…s…sure John," Fermat stammered out inwardly feeling a shiver at the prospect of being face to with not just one but two werewolves. Inwardly he told himself that despite appearances Alan and John would inside be the people he knew, but it was still a frightening prospect.

_"All right if you're sure,"_ John responded at last

_"We're coming up on your right side Tin-Tin,"_ Alan's voice added and they could hear the nerves and uncertainty in his mental voice. Alan was clearly nervous about facing them while he was in his werewolf form.

Tin-Tin turned her torch to the right hand side and watched. After a moments waiting she saw them appearing out of the gloom that had enveloped the jungle with the loss of the powerful light of the sun.

Despite herself Tin-Tin gasped when for the first time in her life she saw a werewolf up close and really for the first time grasped how big they actually were. They both towered over herself and Fermat and not only were they tall but they were also big, very, very big and muscular. Between their height, size, the claws on their hands and feet and a muzzle full of sharp cutting teeth, they were very fearsome in appearance. Looking at the werewolves Tin-Tin had a hard time relating them to the two people that she knew so well that they were almost like the brothers she'd never had.

But despite the disbelief that part of her felt Tin-Tin knew that they really were Alan and John. Though who exactly was who she didn't know, the two werewolves looked very much the same except their fur colour one having light silver grey fur and the other having dark charcoal grey fur. Looking at the dark furred one closely Tin-Tin saw a hint of nervousness in the warm amber eyes that looked back at her along with concern. Tin-Tin looked deep into those eyes and suddenly knew that the darker furred werewolf was Alan.

Again Tin-Tin was stunned by how different Alan looked as a werewolf compared to how he looked when he was human. It there hadn't been something in his eyes that she recognised somehow then she would not have guessed that the dark grey furred werewolf was the youngest of the Tracy's. She pushed aside the disbelief and reflexive, instinctual fear that she felt at the site of not just one but two werewolves, reminding herself that despite appearances they hadn't really changed, their bodies had but their minds remained their own.

Cautiously obviously not wanting to frighten them Alan and John approached.

_"Let me take a look at that Tin-Tin,"_ John said telepathically. Tin-Tin nodded permission and John approached cautiously_. "Which leg is it?"_

"My right leg," Tin-Tin replied and was a little surprised when John nodded at her, the very human movement looking bizarre coming from a huge, furry werewolf.

John squatted down beside her and carefully started looking over her wounded ankle. Carefully John removed her the sandal on that foot so he could properly examine the ankle being careful so as not to injure Tin-Tin further with the claws on his hands. Then carefully John started feeling around the wounded ankle, Tin-Tin hissed in pain as John's touch sent stabs of agony up her leg.

_"Sorry, sorry,"_ John said. Tin-Tin nodded even as Fermat put a comforting hand on her left shoulder and a moment later Alan put one of his own hands on her right shoulder. The touch of Alan's hand felt odd to her as she could feel the inhuman strength in his hand. Looking at it out the corner of her eyes she was very conscious of the sharp claws extending from the tips of his fingers, claws that she knew could disembowel a human with a single blow. Despite being slightly uneasy about Alan's hand on her shoulder she tilted her head so her cheek rested against his hand well away from his claws. She was surprised by how silky soft his fur was against her skin it felt really nice.

_"You've definitely badly sprained your ankle," _John said at last_, "we should get you back to the complex. It might be an idea to get your ankle scanned as well just to make sure you haven't broken it. I doubt it but its better to be safe than sorry."_

"I'll get my dad to do that," Tin-Tin agreed though like everyone else she hated getting up on the diagnostic bed but knew that it was a sensible precaution in this case. John nodded again.

_"Do you mind being carried Tin-Tin,"_ John asked_, "since you can't put any weight on your leg."_

"No I don't mind," Tin-Tin replied.

"Okay."

Gently John slid his arms Tin-Tin's knee's and back. Quickly Alan and Fermat withdrew their hands and then John picked Tin-Tin up as if she weighed nothing at all. The movement startled Tin-Tin slightly but for additional purchase she put her arm across his shoulders and feeling the softness of his fur against her skin which contrasted sharply but nicely with the rock hard muscle underneath.

_"Let's get going,"_ John said starting along the path back to the main complex carrying Tin-Tin. He hadn't bothered to pick up the torch, as he didn't need it being able to see perfectly well in the dark.

Before following John Alan picked up the torch and offered it to Fermat.

_"Here Fermat you'll need this,"_ he said. Fermat looked up at the werewolf that Alan had turned into still trying to reconcile the huge, muscular and furry creature in front of him with his best friend. It was hard to do and the scientist in him was still trying to understand how a man could change into a werewolf.

Trying to hide the hints of fear that he was feeling he accepted the offered torch from Alan.

"T…t…thanks Alan," he stammered slightly and almost jumped when a mental picture of Alan in human form smiling at him flashed through his head. "D…d…did you d…d…do t…t…that?"

_"Yes. Sorry I didn't mean to startle you,"_ Alan replied realising that sending the mental image to Fermat had probably startled the young genius just as he could tell that Fermat was afraid of him at the moment. He could literally smell it._ "I'm scaring you aren't I?"_

"A l…l…little," Fermat admitted guessing that Alan was able to tell from his body odour that he was scared, "b…b…but I'll g…g…get u…u…used to it," he added not wanting to upset his best friend. Alan nodded at him.

_"I understand,"_ Alan told him_, "this werewolf thing has been a big surprise for both of us. Until yesterday I had no idea that I was anything other than a normal human being."_

"It h…h…has," Fermat agreed starting to feel more at ease with talking to Alan now, though hearing Alan's voice in his head still struck him as something that was very, very strange. "H…h…how d…d…does it f…f…feel being a w…w…werewolf."

"Strange at first. But you know what Fermat I like it and you know what it didn't hurt this time when I changed. It just happened."

"T…t…that's s…s…something then," Fermat replied curious now despite himself as to how it would feel to be a werewolf. Again a mental image of Alan smiling at him flashed through his head. It still startled him but not as much as it had the first time.

"Come on Fermat we should catch up with John and Tin-Tin."

"Y…y…yes," Fermat agreed. Another image of a smile flashed through his head then he Alan turned away from him and started walking along the path moving with a silence and grace that complied belied his immense height and weight.

Fermat sighed to himself and followed his best friend.


	10. Chapter 10

****

Chapter Ten

Sundeck

Tracy Island

Kyrano Belagant stood out on the sundeck smiling as he used a hose to water the boarder plants. Evening was always the best time to water the plants on Tracy Island, now the plants had time to actually soak up the water being sprayed on them. During the day it was to hot to really water them as the water would evaporate almost immediately.

Kyrano wasn't concerned about Thunderbird One returning, there were no boarder plants around the main swimming pool and lower sundeck, nothing aside from the trees and bushes that dominated the rest of the island. The exhaust from Thunderbird One's turboscram jets posed no threat to the plants up here by the main sundeck. Plus he knew Thunderbird One was still at the danger zone that they hadn't finished the rescue yet.

Kyrano sighed he knew that would probably be irritating the rest of the Tracy family that they were stuck out on a rescue with just Alan and John here. Especially as it had gone past moonrise and Alan would have again turned into a werewolf by now. He knew how much they had all wanted to be here when that transformation came around.

_"Kyrano," _John's voice abruptly said into his head making him jump. Sensing that the telepathic call had come from somewhere behind him he put the hose down and turned around already guessing what he was going to see.

Sure enough illuminated by the bright lights around the edges of the sundeck stood John in his werewolf form. Having seen many members of Tracy family in their werewolf forms a few times over the years that he had known and served them seeing John as a huge hairy werewolf didn't bother him at all. What did shock him however was whom John was carrying, cradled gently in his powerful, fur covered arms.

"Tin-Tin," Kyrano exclaimed hurrying over a look of concern on his face at the sight of his beloved daughter being carried by John Tracy. "What happened?"

"Fermat and myself were coming back here from the east beach dad when I tripped," Tin-Tin replied. "I can't put any weight on my right ankle we think I've badly sprained it."

As Tin-Tin spoke Kyrano became aware of movement behind Tin-Tin and John and a moment later another werewolf – this one with much darker grey fur than John – appeared accompanied by Fermat. Kyrano immediately knew that the second werewolf was Alan – not that it could be anyone else with the rest of the Tracy's out on the rescue and with the other five residents of the island all being human.

"Over here," Kyrano said heading for one of the sundeck loungers around the diving pool. He would have to get John to leave Tin-Tin on that lounger and then go and get a first aid kit as John would not be able to take her inside. The doors to the villa weren't really built for a werewolf to get through, in their werewolf forms Alan and John were just too tall and too big to move comfortably around the house.

Kyrano knew that Jeff Tracy had wanted to build the villa otherwise but it would have raised way too many questions from the contractors who had built the villa on this island so many years ago – long before the foundation of International Rescue. And like all werewolves the last thing Jeff wanted was for people to ask too many questions about him and his family or get the impression that they were any different to normal people. Kyrano could understand it, he knew that it would be a bad thing if the world in general were to learn that werewolves really did exist, people would hate and fear them especially given how books and how Hollywood liked to portray werewolves.

John followed Kyrano still gently cradling Tin-Tin in his arms. Alan and Fermat followed though only Fermat's footsteps made any noise, despite his immense size and weight in his current form Alan's movements were silent.

Reaching the lounger John gently set Tin-Tin down.

_"I've examined Tin-Tin's right ankle as best as I can,"_ John said to Kyrano_. "It doesn't appear to be broken just very badly sprained or twisted. But I cannot be sure."_

"I see," Kyrano replied. "I'll go and get a medical kit." He looked at Alan and John not flinching or feeling even the slightest twinge of fear at being so close to two werewolves. "You two don't have to stay here if you don't want to."

_"No we will stay here," _Alan answered him and moved a bit closer to lie on of his furry, clawed hands comfortingly on Tin-Tin's shoulder. He wouldn't leave Tin-Tin until he was sure that she hadn't badly hurt herself when she had fallen.

Tin-Tin looked up at Alan and smiled even as she put one of her own hands on the hand he had on her shoulder. She knew that Alan would not leave until he was sure that she was alright or if she asked him to leave, which she had no intention of doing. Even though he was in werewolf form at the moment she was comforted by his presence.

Kyrano noticed and read the silent nuances between Alan and Tin-Tin. Like Jeff had earlier he knew then that something was going on between Alan and Tin-Tin, that a romance was brewing between them. Inwardly he smiled realising not for the first time that his little girl was growing up, becoming a woman. He approved of her choice of boyfriends though she and Alan would probably deny it, he knew that they would be good for each other.

Then he smiled softly and turned away heading inside the villa to retrieve the closest medical kit so that he could tend to his daughters wounded ankle.

**

* * *

Mining Site **

South Africa, A Short Time Later

Scott Tracy sighed in relief as he put away his Mobile Control equipment in one of the small storage compartments at the rear of Thunderbird One's cockpit, behind the rear set of jump seats. The rescue had been successfully completed; the last of the surviving miners had been brought safely up from the mine in the Mole. Now it was time to go home and not before time to Scott's mind.

Satisfied that he had secured everything properly he took off the helmet that he like the rest of his family used while on missions to conceal their identities, and put it away in another compartment. Then he went to the pilots seat and sat down and began powering Thunderbird One back up. It would not take long to get home from here and Scott had already made up his mind as to what he would do when he got home. He would first get out of uniform into normal clothes, then he would go to the changing room, get undressed and then change into his werewolf form and go and find his baby brother.

Though he couldn't speak for them he guessed his father and brothers would probably do the same thing. While they had been focused on their job, saving the trapped mine workers, Scott knew they had all been thinking about Alan, especially as the time for his second transformation approached and then passed.

Scott jumped slightly when his communications system came to life.

"Thunderbird Two to Thunderbird One," Virgil's voice said from the hidden speakers.

"Go ahead Virgil," Scott replied pressing one of the buttons on the communications panel, making Virgil's image appear on his communications screen.

"We're ready to leave Scott," Virgil reported.

"F.A.B. Same here," Scott replied looking over his readings. "So how about we stop sitting here talking about it and head home." Virgil laughed and Scott could hear additional faint laughter from behind Virgil, two sets of it. Scott laughed back knowing his father and brothers could hear the enthusiasm for going home in his voice, and were amused by it though they would no doubt be feeling the same.

"F.A.B," Virgil said at last bringing himself back under control before breaking the signal from his end. Scott shook his head as the communication screen went dead. Then he turned his attention to his controls.

He checked all his displays one last time before powering up the engines starting the pre-ignition warm up for the turboscram jet. Scott engaged the VTOL jets and with a roar of power Thunderbird One rose into the air, Scott watched his height indicator before flicking the switch that retracted the landing gear. Using the VTOL jets he kept Thunderbird One stationary in position even as he shifted the wings into flight configuration.

Then taking a deep breath he turned the VTOL jets off and manipulated the throttles bringing the five thrust-vectored turboscram jets that formed Thunderbird One's main drive online. The jets fired and Thunderbird One shot into motion. Scott guided Thunderbird One onto the correct course for home and then checked his sensors to see that Thunderbird Two had just made a text-book perfect take off and was also now heading for home at maximum speed.

For a moment Scott considered keeping his own speed down and not travel at Thunderbird One's top speed. But he wasn't really in the mood to fly home at Thunderbird Two's comparative snails pace – not that he was ever stupid enough to say that to Virgil, if he did he'd be lucky to see the next sunrise – today. It wouldn't be unusual for him to fly home ahead of Thunderbird Two, especially when he wanted to do something.

Decision made Scott smiled before increasing speed to Thunderbird One's maximum and shooting away from Thunderbird Two towards home.

**

* * *

Thunderbird Two **

Seeing Thunderbird One shoot off ahead of them at maximum speed Virgil inwardly shook his head. _Show off,_ he thought though he guessed the reason why Scott wanted to get home as soon as possible. In fact he knew for certain that Scott wanted to check on Alan and how he was coping with his second transformation, even though John would be looking after him. Virgil knew because he wanted to do the same.

So he didn't say the show off comment that immediately came to mind. Instead he just sat quiet as they started the brief – but tonight would probably seem like long – flight home to Tracy Island, and Alan.

**

* * *

Sundeck **

Tracy Island

Kyrano smiled as he finished wrapping Tin-Tin's ankle in a support bandage. John had been correct in that Tin-Tin had not broken her ankle, she had badly sprained it and it would ache for a few days while it healed and the swelling went down, but that was all.

Once he was happy that the support bandage was not going to come off he gently slipped Tin-Tin's sandal back on.

"Try standing back up now sweetheart," Kyrano said to his daughter even as he closed the medical kit.

Alan removed his hand from Tin-Tin's shoulder but watched carefully ready to catch Tin-Tin if she started to fall again. Cautiously Tin-Tin tried to stand up and though the movement sent pain shooting up her right leg she didn't fall over this time but remained standing, the support bandage doing its job.

Tin-Tin was about to speak when the mental of image of Alan's human face smiling at her flashed through her head. Startled Tin-Tin turned her head to look at the dark-grey furred werewolf standing next to her and towering over her.

"Was that you Alan," she asked.

_"Yes I didn't startle you did I?"_ Alan replied.

"As a matter of fact you did but no harm done," Tin-Tin answered with a smile. Again the mental image of Alan smiling at her flashed through her mind only this time she was prepared for it and it didn't surprise her.

"I think I might go and lay down on the couch for a bit," she said changing topics. "Rest my ankle a bit before I go to bed tonight."

_"Alright,"_ Alan replied_. "I probably won't see you until the morning now."_

"Probably not," Tin-Tin agreed. "I'll see you in the morning Alan."

_"Okay Tin-Tin. Goodnight,"_ Alan replied Fermat had already left to go to the chalet he shared with his father to have an early night since he hadn't exactly slept well yesterday something Alan guiltily acknowledged he was inadvertently responsible for.

"Goodnight Alan," Tin-Tin replied then she addressed both Alan and John. "Thanks for the help you two."

_"No problem Tin-Tin,"_ John replied_. "Goodnight."_

"Goodnight John." With that Tin-Tin turned and limped away heading inside the villa to rest in the main living room before going back to the Belagant chalet with her parents later in the evening.

Alan watched her leave then turned to look at John.

_"Come on John I fancy another run,"_ he said to his older brother.

_"That sounds like a good idea,"_ John replied sending a smile image to Alan_. "Let's go."_

With that John turned away and ran off, Alan chuckled which naturally came out as a soft rumbling but non-aggressive growl, then followed easily catching up with John. Then the two of them vanished into the jungle again.

Kyrano watched them go and shook his head wondering not for the first time what about just running was so pleasurable to a werewolf. It was one of the lesser mysteries about them. With a smile he turned and headed for the villa himself to return the medical kit to its storage place and to make sure that Tin-Tin made herself comfortable on one of the couches.


	11. Chapter 11

****

Chapter Eleven

Thunderbird One

Thirty Minutes Later

Scott smiled in relief when Tracy Island appeared on his displays. Even with the light of the full moon it was almost impossible to see the island with the naked eye, even for a werewolf. Though he could see perfectly well in the dark, no matter what form he was in, Scott knew if he looked out the windows all he would see of the island from here would be a faint outline, if he saw anything at all.

Still smiling Scott manipulated his communications panel with one hand.

"Thunderbird One to base respond please," he said. Immediately the comm screen lit up showing the familiar face of Brains.

"R…r…reading you loud and c…c…clear Thunderbird One," Brains replied then he smiled. "W…w…welcome back Scott."

"Thanks Brains," Scott replied smiling back.

"I'm o…o…opening the silo for you n…n…now," Brains said. "Do you want me to t…t…turn on the l…l…landing control s…s…system."

"F.A.B Brains. Yes please," Scott replied the landing control system was especially designed to guide aircraft in and help with night-time landings for the Thunderbirds. Even with their natural ability to see in the dark landing an aircraft at night without assistance was tricky to say the least, even for a werewolf. Scott would only risk doing it if he had no other choice – and he was arguably the best pilot in the whole family.

"F.A.B," Brains answered.

After a moment Thunderbird One's windows briefly flashed with rainbow colour as the holographic heads up display – something Scott rarely felt the need to use – activated. A series of rings appeared between him and the dark mass on the horizon that was Tracy Island, out lining the course he should follow to safely land on the island.

With a smile Scott began to fly Thunderbird One through the rings towards home.

**

* * *

Ten Minutes Later **

Scott smiled as he stepped off the lift from Thunderbird One's silo into command and control; his portrait sliding closed behind him. The clothes he had been wearing before the mission began had still been in the rear storage compartment of Thunderbird One; it had only taken a few minutes to get out of his uniform and back into them. Now he had his uniform slung over his right forearm ready to be cleaned for use again.

"Hi Brains," he said with a smile seeing Brains sitting alone at the command and control console. He didn't ask where John had disappeared to, he already knew even though he hadn't asked.

"Hello Scott," Brains replied with a smile managing not to stutter this time. "Before I run post f…f…flight checks on T…T…Thunderbird One after T…T…Thunderbird Two get b…b…back is there anything you w…w…want to tell me." Scott shook his head.

"No there isn't Brains. All systems functioned normally as always," he answered. Brains responded with a smile, still he would run a thorough set of diagnostics like he always did.

"U…u…understood," Brains replied.

"Ok. Brains I'm just going to nip by the laundry room and drop this off then I'm going to go to the changing room if you don't mind."

"W…w…why am I n…n…not surprised?" Brains said laughing. "Go on." Scott laughed back.

"You know me too well," he replied still chuckling. Then he turned and walked out of command and control.

Brains watched him go and knew he wouldn't see Scott again for the rest of the night and it would probably be the same with Jeff, Virgil and Gordon when they got back here. They would all disappear off to go turn into their werewolf forms. Not for the first time Brains wondered what that change was like for them after the first time, and how they felt when they did turn into a wolf.

After a moment he sighed, like many things about the werewolf nature of the Tracy's that was something he doubted he would ever know the answer to, much as he would like to. So he put it out of his thoughts and returned to his work, preparing for the return of Thunderbird Two.

* * *

Smiling Scott left the laundry room having put his uniform in the machine to be cleaned, though he hadn't started it up yet that would wait until the rest of the family got back, and walked through the villa heading for the access to the sundeck. From there he would be able to make his way to where the changing room was. 

Entering the living room he paused when he saw Tin-Tin laid out on one of the couches her right ankle covered by a support bandage.

"Tin-Tin what happened to you," he asked in concern.

"Hi Scott," Tin-Tin replied. "I tripped and badly twisted my ankle thankfully no real harm done. Though I did need a little help getting back here. Thankfully John and Alan weren't far off and they heard me fall down so came to help."

"Was he alright. Alan I mean," Scott asked. Tin-Tin smiled.

"He's fine, he seemed perfectly at ease with what he is, at least from what I could determine, he was more worried about me," she replied reassuringly seeing Scott was worried about his little brother. Tin-Tin knew though that despite her words Scott would continue to worry until he saw Alan for himself. Scott smiled.

"Thanks Tin-Tin. I hope your ankle gets better soon," Scott said.

"Thanks Scott," Tin-Tin replied.

"I'll see you in the morning now Tin-Tin," Scott said.

"Okay Scott," Tin-Tin answered, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Tin-Tin," Scott replied then walked out of the main living room and out onto the sundeck.

Without hesitation or second thought he headed across the sundeck to the path that would take him to the place where he, his father and his brothers went whenever they wanted, or needed, to change.

As he started to walk along the path a distant familiar rumbling caught his attention and he smiled as he recognised the sound of Thunderbird Two's engines. They'd made good time back and Scott knew, as sure as he breathed that soon the rest of the family would turn up at the changing room as well. Then it would be just be a matter of finding where Alan and John were on the island.

Scott continued walking thinking of where Alan and John could have gone off to on the island. Tracy Island could be a big place when you were looking for someone and finding two eight foot tall werewolves was harder than one would have thought. _They are bound to have heard Thunderbird One return,_ he thought, _where ever they are on the island, and they should hear Thunderbird Two coming as well. Maybe they'll head back to the changing room to meet us._

**

* * *

Elsewhere On Tracy Island **

Alan's ears perked up as for the second time tonight he started to hear the rumbling of engines approaching. The rumble was partially muffled by the jungle around them so he couldn't make the sound out precisely or determine how far away it was, though the rumbling was getting louder and he soon recognised the sound as belonging to Thunderbird Two's engines.

_"They're almost all back now,"_ he said to John.

_"I know I can hear it as well,"_ John replied_. "We should head back to the changing room. Scott is almost certainly already on his way there and dad, Virgil and Gordon will probably go there as well as soon as they get out of uniform."_ Alan sent a smile image to him._"I would like that. How long will it take us to get back to the changing room from here?"_

_"Not too long even though it's on the other side of the island from us. So what do you say Alan? Shall we go?"_

_"Indeed. Lets go,"_ Alan replied and John sent him a smile image. Alan sent one back and then the two of them turned and started running in a different direction that would ultimately take them back to the changing room, and all the while the sound of Thunderbird Two approaching got louder and louder.

**

* * *

Changing Room **

A Few Minutes Later

By the time Scott reached the changing room the sound of Thunderbird Two's engines had become almost overwhelming. Scott knew that not far away the great green transport would be coming in to land. Soon the rest of the family would show up here.

Smiling at the prospect that they could all spend the rest of the evening in werewolf form Scott went inside the changing room. He smiled again when he saw two piles of neatly folded clothing stored in the room. Scott moved over to one of the benches and first slipped off his T-shirt before sitting down and started to undo then take off his shoes. Next off after the shoes were his jeans, followed by his socks and then his underpants.

Now completely naked – but not feeling the faintest twinge of embarrassment for being so – Scott carefully folded up his clothes and put them next to the piles of folded clothing left by John and Alan.

Then he turned around and walked back out of the changing room. As he stepped out into the moonlight he closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment on the werewolf inside of him and lowered the barriers that kept it contained, that prevented him from transforming unless he wanted to.

Immediately warmth began spreading out from the core of his body and when he opened his eyes again they were no longer their normal brown instead they were the warm amber eyes of a werewolf. Simultaneously he felt a familiar tingle/goosebumps like sensation run down his spine. Closing his eyes again Scott relaxed feeling the very familiar sensations of the transformation taking place fill his body. He felt himself growing taller and broader, stronger as his body shifted from normal human to werewolf form.

Scott embraced the familiar, welcome sensations of the transformation even as he felt his hands and feet change shape. Having been a werewolf for so long the change to him was now like an old and very welcome friend. He felt his skull begin to change shape and his ears shift position and knew the change was in its final phase, and all to soon even that ended as with the familiar final pulse of warmth the change completed itself.

Scott opened his eyes again, ignoring the fact that he was now looking down a muzzle with ease. He remained standing still for a moment before making a couple of small stretching movements to make sure he was comfortable and loose then he walked forward. Before he could leave the clearing however he paused as the wind gently blowing across the island carried the familiar scents of Alan and John to his nose, mixing with the smells of the jungle and the constant ever-present saline smell of the ocean.

Scott considered hanging around here and wait for them to come to him but after a moment decided against it. When he was in werewolf form he hated waiting around, not that he was that fond of just sitting or standing around doing nothing when he was in human form either. His decision made he started walking into the wind knowing that he would meet up with John and Alan quickly but they wouldn't know he was coming until he was quite close.

Scott entered the jungle in moments and he picked up his pace to a gentle running pace, as he had no desire to run at full speed just yet tonight. So he purposely kept his pace down to a fast jogging pace as opposed to a full blown run, still he was still going pretty fast as even a quick jogging pace for a werewolf was a run by human standards.

After a few moments of peaceful silence Scott sensed his brothers ahead and knew that they would sense him at exactly the same time.

_"That you Scott,"_ John's voice abruptly said in his head.

_"Yes John,"_ Scott replied_. "Who else would it be? Thunderbird Two has only recently landed. Dad, Virgil and Gordon wouldn't have gotten to the changing room yet." _

_"Good point,"_ Alan's voice responded. Had he been in human form Scott would have smiled at hearing his baby brother's voice.

_"How are you Alan," _he asked just as he saw Alan and John appear ahead of him, appearing from behind some large rocks that were overgrown with vines and creepers. Scott came to a stop to wait for them to reach his position.

_"I'm fine Scott,"_ Alan replied as along with John he reached Scott and as with John he couldn't help but be surprised by how different Scott looked in werewolf form, though he'd seen Scott as a werewolf last night.

Scott looked Alan over carefully and was pleased when he saw no tension or anything in Alan. Tin-Tin had been right. His baby brother was completely relaxed and comfortable with the fact that he was a werewolf, which was quite surprising considering the less-than-ideal circumstances of his first transformation.

_"I'm glad to hear that Alan. I was worried about you," _he replied at last sending a smile image to Alan. He wasn't surprised when Alan sent one back though in his mental image there was a knowing look as well as the smile.

_"So what are we going to do now,"_ Alan asked both Scott and John_. "Continue running or wait for the others." _

_"Wait for the others,"_ Scott replied_. "I know dad especially has been worried about you, with Gordon and Virgil close seconds."_ Alan nodded.

_"All right we wait then. Um where shall we wait for them? Here?"_

_"Nah lets go a bit closer," _John said.

_"All right then,"_ Scott replied_, "come on."_

With that Scott turned around and began jogging again heading back uphill in the direction that he had come from. Alan paused for about half a second then he followed, matching Scott's pace, John also followed and in no time at all the three of them were jogging side by side through the jungle.

**

* * *

Changing Room **

A Few Moments Later

Gordon Tracy smiled to himself as together with his father and Virgil he stepped out of the jungle trail into the clearing next to the changing room. After getting changed back into normal clothes back on Thunderbird Two they had come almost straight here, the only delay had been a quick stop at the laundry room to drop off their dirty uniforms.

Looking at the jungle Gordon knew that Alan was in there and reasonably close to them, he could smell him and the smell was reasonably strong not dispersed like it would be if it had travelled a long distance. He could also smell John and Scott as well. Clearly they were all not that far away though he couldn't sense them but that didn't mean anything really, all it meant was they were outside the range of his sixth sense. Which was easily possible as a werewolf's sixth sense only had a short range.

Gordon smiled softly in a couple of minutes he'd be going in there to find his brothers, especially Alan. But first thing was first he needed to transform into a werewolf. Calmly he turned away from the jungle and walked through the cave mouth that concealed the entrance to the changing room and into the changing room itself before going up to one of the benches to take his clothes off.

A few minutes later Gordon walked out the changing room again now completely naked, not a stitch of clothing anywhere on his body since clothes and werewolf transformations did not mix; the change had this awkward tendency to tear clothes to pieces. Not that he minded being naked at this time since in a few moments he would be covered in fur.

He heard and sensed his father and Virgil following behind him as they stepped out back into the warm, moonlit night. They spread out a little bit and as they did so Gordon noticed that the smells of his other brothers were stronger now, obviously they were getting closer. He would be able to sense them soon.

"They're closer now," he said.

"Indeed," Jeff agreed. "They'll be here in another few minutes so it would be best if were ready for them when they get here."

"True dad," Virgil added. "So what are we waiting for?" Gordon and Jeff both laughed when they heard the eagerness in Virgil's voice though they both felt it themselves.

Gordon brought himself back under control and then closed his eyes and like Scott had done a short time earlier concentrated on the werewolf that waiting patiently deep within him. Gordon lowered the barriers inside that prevented the transformation and felt his werewolf half practically jump for joy at the sudden freedom. Warmth and the feeling of strength and power spread out from the centre of his body as he let his werewolf side become dominant over the human being he normally was.

Gordon kept his eyes closed as he felt his body shifting and changing. He felt the werewolf power filling his body making his muscles lengthen and expand with power and strength as he grew taller and bigger, all the while feeling fur growing over his body. A pushing/stretching sensation filled his hands and feet for a few moments as they changed shape and his nails became claws. The sensation came to his head and Gordon felt his features change. Flesh and bone shifting as his nose and upper lip merged together even, as along with his lower jaw, they grew outwards becoming a powerful muzzle filled with sharp cutting teeth, simultaneously he felt his ears shift position to the top of his altered skull while shifting shape into the longer, triangular ears of a wolf.

The feeling of increasing strength and power stabilised as the warm feeling inside pulsed once then faded into the background of his awareness before vanishing entirely. Gordon opened his now amber eyes and stretched a little bit even he looked down his muzzle at the world around him. Sniffing the air he noticed that John, Alan and Scott now smelt even closer and even as he sniffed the air he began to sense them.

_"They're almost here,"_ he said unnecessarily as he knew his father and Virgil would be sensing them as well. Though Gordon couldn't help but feel a little impatient for them all to meet up, he wanted to see how Alan was coping and he knew that Virgil and dad would be feeling exactly the same way.

* * *

Alan carefully walked out of the forest and somehow wasn't surprised to find dad, Virgil and Gordon waiting for them already changed into their werewolf forms. Looking at them Alan couldn't help but be amazed by how different they looked from when they were human and he was having trouble telling who was who, though each had a different colour to there fur.

The werewolf in the middle had thick jet black fur, the werewolf to the right had brown fur like Scott did but several shades lighter, so it was a pale brown as opposed to Scott's dark brown, and the werewolf to the left was usual in its coloration in that his fur was not a block colour like the others. Instead this werewolf had black fur on his head, across his shoulders and down his arms and probably down his back as well, the fur over the rest of the tall heavily muscled frame was dark brown like Scott's.

_"Hello boys,"_ Jeff's voice said into his head and Alan knew instantly that the black furred werewolf was his father.

_"Hi dad,"_ Alan replied_, "hi guys. Before anyone asks I'm fine."_

_"That's good to hear Alan,"_ Virgil answered and as he did so he realised that Virgil was the werewolf with the black and brown fur, which meant that the werewolf with light brown fur was Gordon._ "We've been worried about you." _

_"I know Virg,"_ Alan replied_, "and I will admit I was more than a little nervous about changing."_

_"Understandable. But how do you feel about it now,"_ Gordon asked. Alan sent the mental image of a smile to the brother who was closest to him in age.

_"It great,"_ Alan replied_, "I love it." _

_"Good,"_ Jeff answered sending the mental image of him in human form smiling proudly to Alan. He was very proud that Alan had genuinely accepted the reality of what they were, and even genuinely seemed to enjoy being a werewolf. He had been so worried that Alan would hate it, it would have been understandable given the circumstances of his first transformation. It was so good to see that this time he had been worrying over nothing.

Though he also saw John's hand in Alan's acceptance, no doubt the two of them had talked it over, or rather John had encouraged Alan to talk about his feelings leading up to the transformation. But he knew that John's ability to listen was only a part of it, in the end the acceptance and enjoyment of being a werewolf came entirely from Alan's heart.

_"Um are we going to stand here chatting all night or can we go for a run?"_ Virgil asked practically itching to go for a run. He was rewarded with the soft non-aggressive, repeated half growls that passed for werewolf laughter.

_"All right Virgil we'll go for a run now,"_ Jeff replied amused. Though he knew how much that all his boys liked running when they were in werewolf form. It was perfectly natural, he was the same way, in fact Jeff had never known a werewolf who didn't like going running, and he had known a number of others of their kind in his time. The love of running seemed to be a universal thing among werewolves regardless of who they were when they were human, or what they did.

_"Thanks dad,"_ Virgil replied_, "shall we go then?"_

_"Why not,"_ Scott answered_, "but since you're so eager to go Virg why don't you go first."_

Virgil sent a smile image to Scott then seeing that everyone was waiting for him to make the first move he started moving, heading into the forest on a light jogging pace, which he rapidly built up into a quick running pace. Scott followed and a moment later so did everyone else.

Gordon looked over at Alan as they started running again.

_"You sure you're okay,"_ he asked

_"I'm perfectly fine Gordon,"_ Alan answered

_"I'm glad. Say you want to pair off with me and we go running alone?"_

_"Sure why not."_ Gordon sent a smile image to him and Alan returned it. Then without speaking again the two youngest Tracy's broke away from the rest of the family and disappeared off in another direction.

_"Now I wonder where they are going,"_ Scott said to John

_"Don't know,"_ John replied_. "But as long as they don't use the opportunity to plan a prank I don't mind them going off together. I don't think they will plan something tonight though."_

_"Me neither,"_ Scott admitted_. "But what do you say we follow their example and go off on our own?"_

_"Yes lets."_ As with Alan and Gordon John and Scott broke away and disappeared in another direction to follow their own favourite run leaving Jeff and Virgil on their own running side by side. Which neither really minded since they liked the same runs.

_"You know dad Alan really does seem to be okay with all of this,"_ Virgil said to his father_. "I didn't think he would be but he's surprised me with being comfortable with what we are. I'm glad he is okay with it." _

_"So am I Virgil,"_ Jeff replied_, "so am I."_

Virgil sent a smile image to his father then didn't speak again as they ran in comfortable silence through the jungles of Tracy Island. 


	12. Chapter 12

****

Chapter Twelve

Alan's Bedroom

Next Morning

Feeling warm sunlight on his face Alan slowly rose out of the deep sleep he'd entered into when he'd returned here after the moon had set last night and he'd changed back into his human form.

Slowly Alan opened his eyes and groaned from the brightness of the light before closing his eyes again. He waited a few moments, before slowly opening his eyes again and blinking rapidly until his eyes were used to the brightness. Groggily he sat up wondering why it was so bright in here. Then he noticed that he had forgotten to close the curtains over the double glass doors that led out onto the balcony that his bedroom like all the others had, so bright morning sunshine was streaming through.

Alan sighed seeing the open curtains. He wondered briefly how he'd managed to forget closing the curtains last night, though when they'd gotten back it had been very late and he'd been tired from the events of the day and the transformation into his werewolf form. So it was understandable that he would have forgotten to close the curtains, as he'd been practically dead on his feet when he'd come in here last night. It was strange he hadn't felt tired at all when he'd been in werewolf form but as soon as he returned to his human form exhaustion and the need to sleep had dropped on him like a ton of bricks.

A tantalising smell beginning to drift into his room from the rest of the main house caught his attention and he sniffed the air, without even realising he was doing it he started employing his werewolf's sense of smell. He smelt breakfast being cooked downstairs in the kitchen. The smell of cooking made his mouth water and his stomach grumble reminding him that he hadn't eaten in well over eight hours.

Alan carefully got up and headed for the on suite bathroom that all the villa bedrooms had. From the smell he could tell somehow that breakfast wasn't anywhere near ready yet, he had enough time for a quick shower and get dressed before heading downstairs to have breakfast.

**

* * *

Fifteen Minutes Later **

Alan smiled as approached the dining room, the smell of cooking was now almost overpowering and his stomach was constantly reminding him that he was hungry, and he was finding ignoring it difficult to say the least. As he got closer to the dining room he sensed that another werewolf was in the room ahead of him and that it was only one, though he couldn't tell which of his family it was. That strange additional sense that they had did have its limits after all.

He entered the dining room and found that it was his father who was there already. Dad was sat at the table with a newspaper open in front of him, with a half-drunk cup of coffee beside the paper.

"Morning dad," Alan said in greeting. Jeff looked up from the article he was reading and looked over at his youngest son and giving him a welcoming smile.

"Good morning Alan," Jeff replied. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm all right dad," Alan answered as he moved over and sat in the chair immediately to his fathers left. "I feel fine, in fact I feel brilliant like a weight I didn't even know was there has been taken off me." Jeff smiled again.

"That's normal," Jeff replied. "See what we mean when we say that transforming is a great stress reliever."

"Yeah I do. You know dad I enjoyed that last night."

"Good."

"It felt strange though dad," Alan admitted. "Suddenly being in a completely different form it felt strange but nice."

"You'll get used to it. I know that the first few times in werewolf form are strange and unfamiliar but you will soon get used to it." Alan nodded accepting his father's words and knowing that he was correct, he would get used to it, as he grew more and more comfortable with being a werewolf.

"Your right dad," he agreed aloud. "The change feels strange at the moment but eventually it will feel like second nature."

"Precisely," Jeff replied with a smile. Alan smiled back then changed the topic to the other thing that had happened yesterday.

"So tell me how did the rescue go yesterday," Alan asked. "I didn't get the chance to ask you last night and it somehow never occurred to me to ask Gordon. Guess I was enjoying running to much." Jeff smiled again.

This was a familiar conversation. Alan was always curious and interested to know how rescue missions went, especially when he couldn't be involved. If it wasn't too late after a rescue mission and Alan was at Wharton he had been known to call him or call John to find out what had gone on altogether as the stealth systems on the Thunderbirds – and the fact that they kept the media way back – made it difficult to see what as going on via television screen.

"It went alright," Jeff replied. "We got all the miners out safe and well, and pretty quickly to, but then we did have an anterior motive to get the rescue over and done with as quickly as possible." Alan nodded knowing full well what his father meant by an anterior motive.

"Guess you used the Mole," Alan said.

"Yes. It was the only way that we had since the escape shaft was blocked. It took a few hours given the Mole's limited passenger carrying capacity but we got everyone up. Some of the miners had nasty injuries from the blast but thankfully no fatalities beyond those crushed to death when the first level collapsed after the initial blast."

"I wonder what caused that," Alan mused thinking. Jeff shrugged.

"We will never know but whatever it was it was a heck of a big bang," Jeff replied. "But it does no good to think about causes in accidents such as that one. What's important is that we got the survivors out safely."

"Your right dad at the end of the day that's all that matters," Alan agreed just as he sensed his brothers approaching, all of them from the strength of the directional buzzing in his ears.

Alan turned his head to look at the door a moment before all four of his older brothers came into the room, all freshly showered and dressed and every single one looking as hungry as he felt. Alan smiled as he saw them.

"Morning guys," he called to his brothers.

"Morning sprout," Scott replied for all of them. "Morning dad."

"Good morning boys," Jeff answered smiling at his four other sons as they came round the table, Scott ruffling Alan's blond hair playfully and dodging an equally playful slap back in retaliation, as he did so. Jeff resisted the impulse to smile as he observed the familiar antics of Scott and Alan.

"Something smells nice," Gordon commented sitting down next to Alan. "I hope Onaha hurries up and gets it ready. I'm starving." Alan laughed.

"You're always hungry Gordon," Alan replied and got an elbow in the ribs for his trouble. "Ow what was that for?"

"Making sarcastic comments," Gordon replied.

Alan grinned but said nothing, a second before the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention and he looked towards the door, a moment before Brains and Fermat came into the room both looking hungry and more than ready for breakfast.

"G…g…good morning," Brains stammered as along with Fermat he came over to the table and sat down.

"Good morning Brains, good morning Fermat," Jeff replied. "Are you alright?"

"I'm f…f…fine," Brains answered.

"Me t…t…to," Fermat added still partly asleep and feeling quietly a little nervous being around the Tracy's now that he knew that every last one of them was a werewolf.

He wasn't frightened of them at all now – last night had confirmed that even when they transformed into giant, humanoid wolves they remained the same people they had always been – but he was still a little weary of them. It would be awhile before he was completely comfortable around them again. Even Alan who was undoubtably the best friend he'd ever had.

Scott gave Fermat a quick once over as he heard something in Fermat's voice that belied his statement that he was fine. Being an expert judge of human body language Scott immediately noticed the slight nervousness Fermat was feeling presumably because he was right next to them.

Scott could understand why Fermat was nervous around them, the little genius had just had the core of his beliefs rocked by learning that not only were werewolves real but that his best friend – namely Alan – was one. It was understandable that it would take awhile for Fermat to get used to it and be fully comfortable around them. They had been in this position before with Brains and the other normal human residents of the island, the nerves the normal felt around them faded away after a few days.

Before anyone else could speak Tin-Tin came into the room walking tenderly on her wounded leg. Her right ankle was really stiff and painful from the bruising coming out and she was barely able to walk on it and as a result had to take her time going from A to B.

Alan looked over when he heard Tin-Tin come into the room and he inwardly winced when he saw her slow painful progress into the room. He'd sprained his ankle in the past, so he knew how much a sprain like the bad one Tin-Tin had hurt. He wanted to get up and help her around the table to her seat but he knew Tin-Tin would only brush him off, still he kept a cautious eye on her ready to get up and assist if she were to stumble.

Tin-Tin made it around the table and sat down in one of the vacant seats and sighed in relief as the pressure was taken off her wounded leg.

"Morning everyone," Tin-Tin said wiping some sweat off her brow with one hand. The painkillers she'd taken had yet to kick in so at the moment whenever she walked anywhere her wounded ankle made its presence known with a vengeance.

"Good morning Tin-Tin," Alan replied. "How's your leg?"

"Painful," Tin-Tin responded. "I've taken some painkillers but they have yet to kick in so everytime I move my leg I get a sharp pulse of pain from my ankle." Everyone around the table winced sympathetically.

At that moment the sound of approaching footsteps caught everyone's attention and in almost perfect unison everyone turned to look at the doorway that led into the kitchen. Just in time to see Kyrano poke his head out, the movement making the smells wafting out of the kitchen even stronger making everyone's stomach grumble hungrily.

Kyrano smiled when he saw that everyone was gathered in the room and inwardly chuckled at the hungry looks he was getting, especially off all five Tracy boys. There father was more composed but Kyrano knew Jeff Tracy he could tell that he was just as hungry as the boy's, and in Kyrano's experience a hungry werewolf tended to get very grumpy quite quickly.

"Breakfast is ready Mr Tracy," he said to Jeff. "We will be bringing it out momentarily."

"Very well Kyrano thank you," Jeff replied folding up the paper he had been reading before Alan came in and putting it off to the side where it would not be in the way. Kyrano smiled then he withdrew back into the kitchen.

A moment later though he was back balancing a plate of piping hot food on each arm with a skill that many top butlers would envy. Onaha followed him carrying two plates of her own. With ease born of long experience they carried the plates over to the table and set them down in front of various people before returning to the kitchen to get the next round of plates piled high with bacon, sausage, egg and potato waffles.

In no time at all everyone had a piping hot plate of food in front of them and Kyrano and Onaha were just sitting down to there own plates. Without speaking everyone tucked into the freshly prepared breakfasts.

As he started on his own food Alan noticed again noticed that the food, especially the bacon and sausage tasted better than it had before the werewolf inside him had become active. In fact it tasted even better now than it had yesterday, which confused him for a moment.

After a moments thought he guessed that whatever changes came in a werewolf's body during their first transformation cycle were now complete inside him and that was causing it. He mentally deciding whatever it was it was of no consequence and was just something he was going to have to learn to live with, like everything else that came with being a werewolf.

As he sat there quietly eating his breakfast Alan realised that he was going to have a lot of new things to get used to besides his enhanced senses, his body was capable of much more now. Especially in terms of speed and strength, it would take him awhile to learn and adapt to it all. But he would adapt; he would learn and come to understand the powers and abilities of a werewolf. With practice, patience – something he sometimes had trouble with, as patience was not one of his strong points – and the love and support of his family – who had been through it themselves – plus support from his friends he would accomplish it.

And when he did finally understand what he could do, what it really meant to be a werewolf, only then could he truly say that he was completely comfortable and at ease with being what he was. It was certainly going to make his summer holiday interesting and challenging. And he looked forward to the challenge.

The End

* * *

Authors Notes: While this is the end of this particular story others in this reality are already being planned and will be up as soon as the chapters are ready. 

On another note I've corrected the formatting errors that occured in chapters 8 to 11, these were caused when the files were uploaded to why that happened I didn't know but I've corrected the errors.


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